A couple of good NBA games by Poole and Iggy
Pretty insane game from Poole. Came out on fire with 24 in the first half. Then he badly rolled his ankle in the 3rd quarter. He was able to return and hit the winning layup.
38 good lord!
I honestly never would have believed Jordan Poole would score 38 points in an NBA game. Wow.
Really?
I watched him play in HS and and I knew I was looking at a future pro with star ability. When I watched him play, he reminded me a bit of CJ McCollum with some of Curry's flair and creativity. So far, he's kinda living up to that comparison with his combo guard ability - 38 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds.
I don't if anyone remembers this but (when he was at Michigan) Poole said that he saw himself as another version of Vinnie "Microwave" Johnson - instant offense (usually off the bench).
In the pre-season, Coach Steve Kerr said he was pleasantly surprised and thrilled by how much Poole had improved during the quarantine off-season from his rookie season.
I always felt that Poole left one year early. If he had returned for his junior year, I'm very confident Coach Howard would've empowered him and turned him into a lottery pick. But because he left early, GSW got a future lottery pick talent as a late 1st round pick one year sooner (who would have normally been out of their draft range). This is one of those fortuitous things that will probably extend GSW's championship window. Since Warriors were injury-plagues the last 2 years, Poole got thrown into the fire and was forced to improve. And he clearly has improved - to the point that he's now the team's 6th man as a quasi-starter depending on opponent. If he keeps this up, Poole will almost certainly see a max contract in his future.
Whoa - pump your brakes and take a cold shower.
I love me some Jordan Poole and have ALWAYS defended his decision to turn pro... however he has struggled to consistently crack the rotation and has been bounced back to the g-league multiple times. He may well be turning a corner and could take over the best NBA player from UM mantle in short order, but to say he’s a max contract player that extends GSW championship window is a bridge too far at this point in his career.
Yeah.....thanks for throwing that bucket of cold water. Awesome that Poole has worked to turn his career around and that GSW have had patience with him. He looks like the one sure thing to get another contract while the other fringe UM players in the league (Moe, Iggy, GR3, Burke, DJ) are wildcards.
That being said, he's had most of his big moments when half the team was out. I think he's worked his way into a rotation spot and he's trending up with that awesome performance. He is also still really young. But max contract?? Yikes.
lol, he's not getting a max contract, that's just ridiculous. He's not even a starter or getting more than 20 mpg. He deserves a lot of credit for improvement, he was the worst player in the NBA last year (or 2nd worst by VORP) and he had one of the worst shooting seasons of any player in the last 50 years. This year he is a league average offensive player. He has upside to be better than that. But he is a guard who shoots 35% from 3, doesn't create that much for others, and is a below average defender. He is basically a slightly better than replacement level guard and that's the most easily found commodity in the NBA. He's still young and definitely has upside and the advanced metrics do like his defense better than I do. Hope he sets himself up with a decent 2nd contract and sticks in the NBA for a long time but let's not go overboard over one great game.
someone posted a G league highlight of Iggy a while ago and it consisted of mainly him bullying his way to the basket then putting back his misses. I was quite skeptical based on that video. But he seems to be finding a nice rhythm. Good for him, hope he can build on this into next season.
I think you hit on his issue in the NBA. He's a tweener forward and hasn't found that one skill that keeps him on a roster. I am glad he's making the most of this chance, but the only reason he's even on the roster or playing is because they are actively trying to lose. I hope he's shown enough to get another contract.....but it is not a sure thing.
If Iggy keeps leading the team in 3-point % (nearly 40 now), then he will have a roster spot. It's really the same for Mo's prospects moving forward.....he doesn't have the other outstanding parts of his game to shoot less than 34% from 3.
Impressive. However much talent they have—which is a lot—the history of pro sports shows how much a career is based on discipline and drive.
I thought Iggy was still in the G League. It's great that our guys are blossoming in the NBA (which I don't watch.) Wish we would have had more of them at Michigan, but I'm proud of anyone with half a Michigan connection whether I saw them play or not. (Rudy T, Madonna, James Earl Jones, Lucy Lui, Gerald Ford, Mark Harmon because of Tom, etc.)
Poole looks like he’s going to be an important part of whatever the next phase for the Warriors looks like, whether it’s as a backup for Steph and Klay or as part of a trade package for another star.
The past tense of "to lead" is "led."
#MichiganArrogance
"leaded"?
Good correction. I'm an engineer so if I get 80% of my grammar correct I'll consider it good enough.
Great to see this. I was always high on Poole's potential since I first saw his high school tape. He was called "Baby Steph" for a reason. But perhaps some issues with his maturity and mental approach have caused him to struggle. I hope he can establish some consistency.
It looks like has been playing very well for the past 5 games with greater than 44% 3 point shooting in each and gradually increasing his scoring from 14 points to the last breakout game. That is very encouraging.
I was really impressed with how well he finished near the basket. The shooting was likely to translate (can’t say certain because of Stauskas) but he’s really improved that part of his game, as well as getting noticeably more sturdy
I still don't understand how Stauskas didn't make it. He was the best shooter I've seen at Michigan and decently athletic. Him and Poole are pretty much the same. Poole maybe a bit more athletic, but Stauskas was a much better shooter.
It will be especially strange for me when Duncan Robinson signs his next contract, given where I’d expected him to be
DE-fense ... DE-fense ... DE-fense.
I agree to an extent, but in college I thought he was a better shooter than Robinson, and Robinsons defense wasn't great. I suppose I'm most surprised that his shot didn't translate.
He had, I think, the single worst teammate he could have been given, Boogie Cousins, especially if he was going to have some adjustment issues. I think he lost a lot of confidence and it just affected everything else.
Great point. I didn't watch the game but it looks like has been getting a lot of buckets inside the 3 point line. Maybe his shot selection, a weakness for him initially, is improving. Even the best shooters need to show good judgement on shot selection, driving when appropriate.
Noticed Wagner in the stat lines, didn't realize the Magic grabbed him. He had a solid night the other day. 17p 13rb. Fans seem to be high on Wagner and unsure with iggy so far.