This time, it was Jordan Poole who threw the haymakers.
Yes — that Jordan Poole: the third Splash Brother turned Washington Wizards franchise cornerstone who was unceremoniously traded from the Golden State Warriors after the punch felt ‘round the world.
The last time the basketball world heard from Poole, he spoke with a tattered jaw after his tough-guy teammate Draymond Green duffed (read: sucker-punched) him during Warriors training camp a summer ago.
Poole spent the entirety of an uncomfortable season playing alongside Green before the Warriors shuttled him to D.C. in a deal for Chris Paul.
My-oh-my how things can turn with a change of scenery and a blaring green light.
Poole’s light shined emerald with Kyle Kuzma sitting for the Wizards against the Knicks on Wednesday night. There was a Poole Party at MSG to end the preseason and usher in the regular season, which begins in a week on Oct. 25.
The Warriors’ castaway-turned-Wizards star is still instant offense, an early front-runner for Most Improved Player of the Year after pelting the Knicks from downtown in a 131-106 finish in New York’s preseason finale on Wednesday.
The Knicks, on the other hand, end the preseason on a low note in their first game with their starters playing a full share of minutes. Immanuel Quickley sat after head coach Tom Thibodeau called him “nicked-up” for the finale.
Poole was anything but that.
He finished with 41 points on 6-of-12 shooting from downtown, but 29 points came in the first half alone. Of his six threes, none were more impressive than his final three of the second quarter, where he pump-faked to get R.J. Barrett off his feet, then took one dribble toward the paint as if he were driving to the rim, before uncorking an unorthodox escape side-step three — a sequence that left Barrett swerving like an Uber driver on the Jackie Robinson Parkway.
On his previous attempt from downtown, Poole let an open three fly, then turned his back and got back on defense before the shot ripped through the net.
Just like he learned from Steph Curry.
And he hit his final three of the night with three-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter, when
Quentin Grimes crowded him at half court, only for Poole to drive into him and push off for a top-of-the-key three. On the very next possession, Poole blew by Jalen Brunson and got to the line. He converted on 15-of-16 attempts from the line, 11 of the 12 coming in the first half.
Maybe Poole is the new James Harden?
After all, Harden’s ascent to superstardom occurred after his trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets, where the organization built an entire identity around The Beard’s offensive prowess and crafty style of play.
Harden ironically did not win Most Improved Player of the Year despite a jump from 17 to 26 points and six assists as Rockets point guard the following season. Poole could very well be overlooked for the honor this season, as well: He has always had this kind of offensive ability – it was just dumbed downplaying fourth fiddle to Curry, Green and Klay Thompson on the Warriors.
Poole’s 40-point night is going to become a regular occurrence on a team – aside from Kuzma – otherwise devoid of scoring.
What cannot become the norm at The Garden is the Knick bench getting outplayed by the opponent.
Wizards stretch-four Mike Muscala came off the bench and gave the Knicks 20 points — all after Julius Randle dunked on him midway through the first quarter. Muscala made his first five threes of the night. The Wizard bench scored 63 points to 48 for the Knicks reserves, minus Quickley — whose value increased in a loss he watched idly from the bench. Quickley will be a restricted free agent next summer, and the Knicks have an Oct. 23 deadline to sign him to a contract extension
Randle finished with 20 points, Barrett with 19 and Jalen Brunson finished with just 12 points on 12 shot attempts. No Knicks players scored in double figures off the bench, Miles McBride struggled from downtown, and both McBride and Donte DiVincenzo posted the worst plus-minuses of the night: The Knicks were outscored by 23 in each of their minutes on the floor.
And now, it’s a wrap: The exhibition games are over and the games will begin to count. Beginning with a seven-game stretch against teams far more talented than the Wizards — who hosted a Poole Party at The Garden to end the preseason.
Kristian Winfield
Source link
