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.
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.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With star teammate Stephen Curry sidelined, Klay Thompson kept shooting and took care of the offensive load the Golden State Warriors were missing without their reigning NBA Finals MVP.
Thompson scored 42 points with a season-high 12 3-pointers, Jordan Poole added 21 points and career-best 12 assists starting in Curry’s place, and the Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 141-114 on Monday night.
“It was a beautiful game to watch him play,” Draymond Green said of Thompson.
“… We needed it. It’s been a while since we had a blowout win. It’s good to get this one, especially first game with Steph out. It was good to start off on this foot and try to create some momentum.”
Thompson sat down for the night to a roaring ovation with 4:41 left to finish 15 for 22 from the floor and 12 of 16 on 3s. Thompson now has eight games with 10 or more 3-pointers, second in NBA history behind Splash Brother Curry’s 22.
“This is a confidence booster for sure to play without him, but to see the performance of the team, amazing individual performances we got,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It was a feel-good game for a lot of people and that just really fuels everybody. Hopefully we can keep that going.”
Andrew Wiggins scored 18 points in Golden State’s first game since losing Curry to a left leg injury late in the third quarter of Saturday’s win against Dallas — and the Warriors went 26 of 50 from deep without the league’s career 3-point leader.
They also didn’t let down late as has been a concern and frustration recently for Kerr.
“That was fun, that was probably the most fun I’ve had watching our team all year,” Kerr said.
Thompson had 27 points at halftime, going 10 of 14 from the floor and 7 for 9 on 3-pointers as the Warriors led 60-53. Poole dished out five assists in the opening quarter, then helped Golden State start the third on a 19-7 burst to pull away for their eighth straight win in the series.
“I thought Jordan was magnificent, one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play. He just was so under control,” Kerr said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points, Aaron Wiggins added 19 and Tre Mann had 18 off the bench for the Thunder. Josh Giddey contributed 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as Oklahoma City struggled in the opener of a road back-to-back coming off a franchise-record 153 points in Saturday’s home win over Houston.
TIP-INS
Thunder: G Lu Dort sat out again after he missed Saturday’s game with a strained right hamstring. … The Thunder were outrebounded 45-36. … Oklahoma City dropped to 9-17 on the road, 3-10 vs. the West. The Thunder have lost four in a row on the Warriors’ home floor.
Warriors: Poole had his first double-double of the season and third of his career. … Golden State is 7-5 without Curry, who was previously sidelined Dec. 16-Jan. 7 with a shoulder injury. “We’ve already been through a stretch without Steph and handled it pretty well, so we’re confident we can do that again,” Kerr said.
ROLLINS SURGERY
Warriors rookie guard Ryan Rollins is set to have surgery Wednesday for a broken pinkie toe in his right foot and he will likely miss the rest of the season.
Golden State acquired the draft rights to Rollins from the Hawks, who selected him 44th overall in the second round.
He played in 12 games for the Warriors and 19 for the G League Santa Cruz team, where he averaged 19.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 25.6 minutes.
The Golden State Warriors were named in a lawsuit Monday alleging the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX used the reigning NBA champions to fraudulently promote its platform.
DETROIT — Saddiq Bey scored 28 points, Cade Cunningham was an assist short of a triple-double and the Detroit Pistons beat the defending champion Golden State Warriors 128-114 on Sunday night to end a five-game losing streak.
“I’m overjoyed for our guys after the work they put in tonight,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “That’s what happens with a young, rebuilding team. There are going to be nights like this where people are going to say, ‘Whoa, where did that come from?’ That’s exciting.”
Cunningham had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to help the Pistons win for the first time since their opening game. Isaiah Stewart added 24 points and 13 rebounds as Detroit’s starters scored 111 points.
“I think tonight we showed what Pistons basketball is going to be,” Stewart said. “We played defense the way we needed to play it every night, and on offense we were sharing the ball and making sure everyone got shots.”
Steph Curry had 32 points and Jordan Poole added 30 for Golden State, coming off a 120-113 overtime loss in Charlotte on Saturday. The Warriors played without Klay Thompson (rest).
“We can’t stop fouling, and something needs to click with our guys,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after his team put Detroit on the line 38 times. “We have to be near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency and that puts us in some bad spots offensively.”
Golden State led by 10 early in the second quarter, but the Pistons responded with a 29-9 run to take a 10-point lead of their own. Stewart had 15 points and seven rebounds in the first half, including a rare 3-pointer to put Detroit up 63-55 at halftime.
Curry was 3-for-8 on 3-pointers in a 15-point half, but the rest of the Warriors went 1-for-13 from behind the arc. Golden State had a 22-12 edge in points in the paint, but Detroit’s jump shooting gave it a decided edge.
“I think our offense is killing our defense, whether it is floor balance or whether the ball doesn’t move and guys are stagnant,” Draymond Green said. “The two ends aren’t connecting, and in order to be a great team, those two ends have to connect.”
The Pistons kept rolling in the third quarter, starting with an 11-2 run to go up by 17, 74-57.
Poole, though, scored 12 points in 52 seconds — a three-point play and three 3-pointers — to cut it to 79-72.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Poole and Curry outscored their teammates 62-52 in the first three quarters. Their fellow starters — Green, Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins — combined for 19 points on 7-of-24 shooting.
Pistons: Detroit had more points in the first three quarters (100) than they averaged in four losses (96.3) to the Warriors over the last two seasons. … Rookie C Jalen Duran left in the fourth quarter with a left leg injury. Casey said he would know more on Monday morning.
UP NEXT
Warriors: At Miami on Tuesday night.
Pistons: At Milwaukee on Monday and Wednesday nights.
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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports
The Golden State Warriors had a certain glow as they entered training camp four weeks ago. It’s a glow you have after spending the summer celebrating a championship and preparing to defend it the next season.
Klay Thompson was seen dancing on his boat. Stephen Curry had his jersey retired at his alma mater and was inducted into Davidson’s Hall of Fame. Jordan Poole took a tour of Europe. James Wiseman finally got a summer league under his belt.
That glow extended internally, as the Warriors spent five days in Japan for two preseason games. But shortly after they landed back in San Francisco, Golden State was confronted with what coach Steve Kerr called “the biggest crisis” in his tenure with the Warriors, as video of Draymond Green punching Poole during practice leaked out for all the world to see.
The team swears it’s past the altercation, and that ring night on Tuesday was the ultimate Band-Aid to the incident. It won’t, they say, have any effect on their quest to win their fifth title in nine years.
What kind of impact Green’s actions have on the Warriors is a question that will play out throughout the season. And it’s not the only issue surrounding the team.
Here are the five biggest questions the Warriors face for the 2022-23 season:
How will the Warriors manage their rotation?
In their season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kerr played an 11-man rotation and nine players recorded more than 15 minutes. All but one active player (Patrick Baldwin Jr.) saw minutes and all but two (Baldwin and Ryan Rollins) played in the first half.
Having this depth is ideal in the situation the Warriors are in now — with Draymond Green and Thompson not ready to play full minutes and Iguodala not cleared to play at all. But Kerr and his coaching staff are eventually going to face some difficult decisions.
“You have 11 guys that probably deserve the opportunity to play,” Curry said. “There’s going to be different lineups every night, especially early in the year. … We’re going to have to develop that chemistry as we go. You’re going to continue to try and experiment and give guys opportunities to go out and hoop.”
This isn’t the first time the Warriors have faced this. They had it last season, but this season’s bench — and the talent up and down — is deeper than a year ago. The team has been drawing comparisons to the 2014-15 squad when the team coined the phrase “Strength in Numbers.”
“That team was veteran,” Kerr said. “This team is young guys, but the talent is really obvious.”
The additions of JaMychal Green and DiVincenzo replace the losses of Porter Jr. and Payton II. They are not carbon copies, by any means, but Green gives the Warriors a floor-spacer — he’s a career 37% 3-point shooter — defensive presence and a big body down low. DiVincenzo, for his part, gives them another ball handler and more offensive versatility.
But what makes the difference in the Warriors’ depth this season are their youngsters. Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are being asked to play more minutes and have bigger roles in the rotation, while Wiseman will back up center Kevon Looney.
During the preseason, Kerr said only his sixth man was decided on — Poole. Other than that, significant rotation spots, and minutes, are up for grabs. How they’ll be distributed will be a critical variable in the Warriors’ attempt at a repeat.
Where does Warriors’ ‘camaraderie’ stand post-punch?
The Warriors are adamant they have moved on.
Green took several days away from the team, apologized to Poole and his family, and the organization, and said he was willing to do the work to rebuild bridges. But that was before he pushed back on the notion that he had to build back trust with his teammates.
“It’s about making sure our team camaraderie is right,” Green said the day he returned. “You can tell when you’re playing against a team and they have good camaraderie … if not, they can be broken easy … if you have that, you can build through anything. [Our camaraderie doesn’t] get very shaken.”
Green might be correct, that playing well together does come down more to trust on the court than in the locker room. Their season opener against the Lakers showed Green and Poole can coexist on the court and play together, with Poole connecting with Green on a second-quarter pick-and-roll.
But the Warriors have been playing in a bubble since the altercation. They played three preseason games at home and play their first three regular-season games in San Francisco.
But what happens when the Warriors hit the road? How will different fan bases use this against the Warriors? Will players, coaches and executives be prepared to address it game after game? How will they respond when every interaction between Poole and Green is dissected?
Pressure will rise. And there are far more questions than answers about the defining feature of this Warriors team and dynasty.
How will the Warriors handle their $500 million question?
In the aftermath of the punch, both Poole and Green’s contracts were key topics of discussion for Golden State as it juggled potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. Ten days later, Poole signed a four-year $140 million extension. Andrew Wiggins signed on as well, for four years and $109 million, setting the team up for a gargantuan $483 million tax penalty.
Green has a $27.6 million player option waiting for him next summer, and if he turns it down he is set to enter free agency in 2024. Green doesn’t expect a new deal this year and he said he isn’t thinking about negotiations now.
With 12 players on the roster next season, the Warriors salary will already be $215 million, and their tax will be $268 million. This scenario includes Draymond Green opting into his player option.
No GPII, no Otto Porter Jr., no Mike Brown: How can the Warriors maintain their elite defense?
Despite the outstanding shooting and offensive firepower the Warriors are known for, they like to consider themselves a team in which defense comes first. Last season, the Warriors showed it again.
But Golden State also lost its defensive mastermind in assistant coach Mike Brown to Sacramento. Golden State promoted Kenny Atkinson after he gave up the head-coaching job opportunity in Charlotte and is considered to be its new defensive coordinator, but Kerr told ESPN the team is also heavily relying on assistant coach Chris DeMarco to lead the defense this season.
“Mike got a lot of assistance from Chris last year,” Kerr said. “Chris is the bridge from last year so everything that we did then we are doing this year. There are a couple tweaks here and there but for the most part, we’re playing a similar style and I’m really happy with the job they’re doing.”
Consider: The Warriors allowed 106.6 points per 100 possessions last season, second behind only their Finals counterparts, the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN Stats & Information. They contested 91% of their opponents’ shots last season, the second-highest percentage in the NBA, according to Second Spectrum.
It’s no surprise that Draymond Green was — and continues to be — the anchor of the Warriors’ defense. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Green allowed .68 points per direct post, third-best out of 158 players to defend 40+ post-ups.
But the Warriors lost two of their other most important defenders in Payton and Porter.
Payton allowed an effective field goal percentage of 45.6% in half-court matchups last season, 11th-best out of 254 players, per Second Spectrum.
Out of 254 players with at least 2,000 half-court matchups last season, Porter allowed the 12th-fewest team points per 100 usage matchups (91.1), Payton the 13th-fewest (91.2) and Green the 40th-fewest (93.4).
So who exactly is picking up the defensive slack?
“JaMychal has been amazing,” Kerr told ESPN. “To be able to add a big, strong player who rebounds, who boxes out, who can guard multiple spots … he can guard up and guard 5s; he’s a key guy for us in terms of replacing those guys.”
Can they stay healthy?
Last season, the Warriors were able to fight through injury after injury, not having their entire roster healthy until Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. And even then, they took a hit in the second round when Payton broke his elbow.
Thompson missed the first four months of the season as he finished his recovery from consecutive ACL and Achilles injuries. Wiseman, whom the Warriors say won’t play under any particular load management this season, missed the entire season. Green missed 28 games from mid-January to mid-March with a back injury. Curry missed the final 12 games of the regular season with a foot fracture. Iguodala played in just 31 games.
According to Spotrac, 12 players combined to miss 308 games for Golden State last season, fourth-most in the NBA.
Iguodala’s availability this season is still a question, and the Warriors aren’t counting on him to play big minutes.
Thompson missed the first two preseason games in Japan due to lack of conditioning, and is starting the regular season on a minutes restriction. After playing 20 minutes in the Warriors’ season opener, Thompson isn’t expected to have much of a bump against the Nuggets on Friday.
“I don’t think it will be very long [until I can play my full minutes],” Thompson said Thursday afternoon. “But I feel great. I keep working with the minutes I play and if we keep winning, we’re so deep that I am in a very fortunate position to be able to [ease in].”
Last season, the Warriors had the sixth-oldest roster in the NBA. This season, they are 10th.
Injuries, of course, are unavoidable. But if the Warriors hope to repeat, a repeat of last year’s unlucky run of injuries will make it more difficult.
SAN FRANCISCO — For the past two years, the Golden State Warriors have been vocal about their desire to bridge their current success with future success. And over the weekend, they put that into action, signing Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins to contract extensions.
The Warriors signed Poole to a four-year, $140 million extension, while Wiggins agreed to a four-year, $109 million deal, their agents at CAA told ESPN. The team announced both signings Sunday but did not disclose the terms.
The financial commitment to keep the core of the Warriors’ 2022 NBA championship team together is massive, with the payroll and luxury tax for the 2023-24 season looming at an unprecedented $483 million.
“I know what the numbers are. … I cannot evaluate what we are going to do next season until we see what happens this season,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said in a news conference Sunday. “I just know this: There’s a huge commitment to winning. There always has been, and I believe there always will be. I am lucky to be in an [ownership] group that believes that. Their actions prove it.”
Warriors CEO Joe Lacob has publicly addressed how Golden State’s spending habits haven’t sat well with other teams around the league and said he is aware he and Myers will have tough choices to make down the line.
On Sunday, Myers reiterated that those decisions will be made when confronted with them head-on.
“We have to take it year to year. If you asked me a year ago if we were going to pay Poole and Wiggins this, I would not have believed you,” he said.
Poole, the 28th pick in the 2019 NBA draft, was sent to the G League his sophomore year and has since emerged as one of the best young guards in the league.
He started 51 games for the Warriors last season, averaging career highs in points (18.5), assists (4.0) and rebounds (3.4). He also led the NBA in free throw percentage last season at 92.5%.
“I couldn’t stop smiling. I really tried to stop,” Poole said of the moment he signed his contract. “All of the hard work at all the different stages; you know you will face adversity but you have to have faith and confidence and self-belief. … This is a very special and life-changing moment.”
Wiggins arrived in Golden State in 2020 in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He wasn’t a highly sought-after player, despite being the 2015 No. 1 pick, but he quickly revitalized his career with the Warriors.
Last season, when he was voted an All-Star starter for the first time in his career, Wiggins averaged 17.2 points and 3.3 rebounds. He also shot a career-best 39.3% on 3-pointers and became the team’s go-to wing and guard defender in the playoffs, often assigned the opponent’s best player.
“I am happy here, and we have a chance to do something special,” Wiggins said. “I believe in what we’re doing here.”
Originally, the Warriors didn’t plan on signing Wiggins and Poole on the same day. Golden State was driven by Monday’s rookie extension deadline to find a new deal with Poole, but the Warriors had until the end of the season to settle on a new agreement with Wiggins to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent. Meaningful conversations with Wiggins’ representation didn’t pick up until last week, Myers said.
Now, with both of their new contracts in place and the Warriors’ tax penalties looming, the question is: What does this mean for Draymond Green, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his $27.6 million player option? And, how will his altercation with Poole in practice a week and a half ago impact this?
Poole addressed the incident, in which he was punched by Green, for the first time Sunday, and he said that Green had apologized and that the two would move forward with a professional relationship.
In September, Green said he didn’t expect a new agreement to be put in place this year. Last week, he reiterated his expectation and added that he wasn’t going to let it distract him this season.
Myers said the altercation between Poole and Green would not affect the way the team goes forward with Green’s contract.
“He’s on our team; we think he can help us win,” Myers said. “He has some things he needs to work through, and we’re confident he will.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green offered a public apology and announced he will step away from the team indefinitely after an altercation on Wednesday between him and Jordan Poole.
“I’m going to continue to stay away, as I’ve been away, and continue to do work on myself, but also just give guys space,” Green said in a news conference Saturday. “I do want to give my team some space, I want to give Jordan some space, and then also take a few days and continue to work on myself … take some time to let everything breathe.”
Green initially apologized to Poole and the team on Thursday before practice, then immediately left the facilities and went home.
In addition to a teamwide apology, Green said he has apologized to Poole individually and has also offered apologies to Poole’s family. But Green doesn’t know how his apologies have landed with Poole.
“Jordan’s feelings are the most important, and to be honest I’m not sure how he feels,” Green said. “That’s not a bridge we have crossed yet, nor should it be a bridge we’ve crossed yet.
“The most important thing initially is to allow Jordan to work through his thoughts and not me try to persuade his thoughts one way or another.”
On Friday, a video was leaked that showed the incident, which prompted Green and the Warriors to mutually agree he should spend more time away from the team. The Warriors have also launched an investigation to find the source of the leak, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
“I watched the video 15 times, maybe more, because when I watched the video, I’m like, yo, this looks awful,” Green said. “This looks even worse than I thought it was. It’s pathetic.”
According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, the video leak has impacted the way the team has been able to move forward from the altercation.
“In 32 years, I’ve probably seen 20-plus fights. It should not make it out of our walls,” Kerr said.
“When things are kept internally, it’s almost easy to handle,” he continued. “As soon as things are leaked, all hell breaks loose. That affects every single player, coach. … It’s like if you had a camera in your family and there was a family dispute. Would you really want to discuss it with the world? No.”
The video does not show anything before Green punching Poole, and Green did not specify the events leading up to the incident, saying he didn’t want to use “sympathy tactics” or reveal anything that could change people’s minds on what happened. But he did say it did not stem from impending and ongoing contract negotiations for himself and Poole.
Poole is eligible for a rookie extension, and his representation is in the process of negotiating with the Warriors. Both parties are using the Oct. 17 deadline as a driving force to get a deal done, which would avoid the possibility of him entering restricted free agency next summer.
Green has a player option waiting at the end of this season. If it is not picked up, Green will become an unrestricted free agent in 2024. Green has publicly stated that he doesn’t believe he and the Warriors will reach an agreement this year.
On Thursday, Warriors general manager Bob Myers shared the same sentiment — that the altercation was not motivated by contract discussions — and said that, from his point of view, the fight stemmed from normal in-practice trash talk.
“That day that took place I was in a very, very bad space mentally,” Green said. “As a leader of this team, I needed to have a better feel for myself and just know and understand where my wick’s end was and what could possibly push me the wrong way. Frankly, I didn’t handle that well and I failed as a leader. I failed as a man, and I failed as a leader.”
Green said that, while he is away from the team, he will take steps to work on himself but did not specify what those steps will be.
“I like to keep my emotions to myself, but what I do want to change and what I do want to work on is how they end up coming out and how do you let them out without them coming out in a way you ultimately regret,” Green said. “And this is one I sincerely regret. There are not many things in life I regret.”
“I failed as a man, and I failed as a leader.”
Draymond Green
Green’s fire and tough love is viewed as a positive attribute by the Warriors. On media day, Klay Thompson said that being yelled at by Green is “practically a bylaw” and that if you couldn’t handle it, you probably shouldn’t play for the Warriors.
But there have been multiple occasions when Green has crossed the line. This one, though, feels different, according to Green.
“It’s absolutely different because someone else was affected in a major way,” Green said. “With word arguments, it requires two people … words have an effect, for sure, but they do not have the same effect as actions … when you have something that is action-packed, it is different than just some words.”
Green has historically had a close relationship with Poole, and he has intentionally made sure their lockers would be next to each other since Poole was drafted in 2019. Last season, Green said the moment he knew he liked Poole was when he saw him trash-talking during Poole’s first training camp.
“My love is there, and my love ain’t going nowhere. I will continue to support him and lead him,” Green said. “Leading comes with a responsibility that I dropped the ball on. You have to rebuild the trust in that.”
Although Green hasn’t decided how long his absence will be, he plans to be available opening night on Oct. 18 against the Los Angeles Lakers. An official decision by the team has not been made, but Myers initially said he didn’t expect Green to miss any games.
