Exit Jordan Poole
Poole's decision to stay in the draft is now 100% official instead of 99.9%:
IT'S OFFICIAL! Jordan Poole will be staying in @NBADraft
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) April 23, 2019
In two 〽️ seasons ⤵️
✔️ 63-15 record
✔️ 13-3 postseason record
✔️✌️ B1G Tournament
✔️✌️ straight Sweet 16s
✔️A Final Four & National Title Game
THANK YOU Jordan
WISHING you nothing but success#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/opW3tzVEPa
Thus ends a rollercoaster career with dizzying highs and equally despondent lows. Poole did this, of course:
That was the exclamation point to a promising freshman year spent mostly as a bench shooter. In his ~12 minutes a game he was able to flash the ability to get to the bucket and create some of his own shots.
A breakout was predicted, and a couple months into the season it looked to be in progress. By early January, Poole had an eFG% of 61 and was canning a majority of the many NBA threes he took. This turned out to be more curse than blessing, though, as Poole's shot selection became increasingly questionable and his percentages started dropping. The five-game moving 3P% average at Torvik tells the tale:
Poole alternated tantalizing blips with long stretches of frustrating play, particularly against Michigan State. Poole got pulled in the second half for a then barely-extant Eli Brooks because his previous few minutes meant he could not stay on the floor no matter who the replacement was.
He scored some but gave it back and more by gambling for steals and getting baited into fouling three point shooters; after each he'd come out the next game in a reserved mode that seemed like he'd been chastised into passivity. A game or so later the heroball tendencies would re-emerge.
What looked like a frustrating season became a frustrating career as it became clear that Poole was out. The decision coming before Poole, a marginally draftable prospect, even goes through the combine process, says something. Good luck to Poole wherever he lands.
I stand by this
https://mgoblog.com/diaries/-jordan-poole
thanks for the memories!
best of luck to JP
Was there ever a doubt!
Get the money, and good luck!
April 23rd, 2019 at 10:35 PM ^
Think the "money" is going to be pretty limited unless he impresses the hell out of someone.
I think he can make money playing basketball. I just don't think that money will be as much as he hopes and won't come from the NBA. the average salary for Euroleague basketball is $60,074 per year, ranging from $33,478 to $75,208. players under NBA G League contracts will earn a base salary of $7,000 per month – or $35,000 – for the five-month regular season.
His contracts can be more, and he can always work his way to and NBA contract. Hope it works out for him. I think Beilein has proven that time under him and his coaches has helped in player development to get the NBA. But there are many factors in a decision where someone needs to make them for themselves.
He clearly wanted out. I don’t think he ever fully bought into the Beilein (and Yaklich) way. I was never his biggest fan but team wouldn’t have won 30 games without him. Best of luck!
I agree with this take. It seemed like he especially went into a funk on the court after Simpson and Matthews indirectly called him out after one of the MSU games. I wonder if Poole (and his family--remember the tweet from his Dad after the Texas Tech game) believed he should be the focal point of the offense, and chafed as Simpson and Matthews continued to receive press and accolades from inside and outside the program.
I'm sure Beilein would have loved to have Poole as the focal point of the offense - the team desperately needed a consistent offensive creator. It's unclear how his failure to become one was on anyone other than Poole. He took too many bad shots, and was streaky even on his good shots. He didn't really have any other standout offensive skills. And he was a frequent liability on defense, often in ways that looked like mental issues. Loved watching him play, always wish him the best, but I'm not sure how anybody rational can look at his performance and say, damn that kid could be star if Beilein wasn't holding him back.
On the one hand, it's got to be frustrating to be the subject of a lot of criticism, a lot of which is less because you're doing badly and more because everyone thinks you can do better. On the other hand, in the parlance of today's modern youth, GiT GuD.
Reading his exit statement makes me wonder if Beilein ultimately said its best for you to move on. Pure speculation but It’s seems unlikely Beilein thinks going pro is best for JP unless JP just isn’t buying in to the program and Beilein is ready to move on.
Its all a head scratcher to me.
April 25th, 2019 at 12:10 PM ^
Silly me, I always thought that the way for a guy (like Poole) to become the focal point of an offense would be to take smart shots and then make them consistently, to the point where the coach knows that he can rely on him to carry the team to wins. The better you play, the more opportunities the coach will give you to excel. No coach buries a kid that will win games for his team.
I wish Poole nothing but the best. I thought that the best thing for him would be another year in college (to work on shot selection and consistency in shooting), but, for his sake, I hope I'm wrong. Good luck.
I’d be shocked if Beilein wouldn’t have been okay with Poole being the focal point of the offense. Poole’s problem was his inability to be consistent, and that’s not on anyone but Poole.
Best of luck to Jordan in all his future endeavors!
(Bad look by the official to think he was part of 2 B1G Tourney championships though.)
Good luck to him. He's gonna need significant time in the G-league or overseas before he can contribute to an NBA time. Hopefully he matures and develops rather than flames out.
Sooooo....Iggy should definitely stay now.
With Poole gone, Iggy will be THE focal point of the offense next year. He has a chance to make that Burke, Stauskas, Wagner type leap. None of those guys were elite athletes, but they all improved their games and led successful campaigns in similar roles. Iggy would be in position to do the same.
Iggy was already the focal point of the offense.
Was he? I didn't think his usage was higher than 20%.
April 23rd, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
Fox sports says he had 26 percentage usage which is the highest of the starters.
In a sense. He was the leading scorer. But he was often splitting with Poole, Matthews and X. Next year, sure X is going to be bringing the ball up, but Iggy will be the guy.
If he can demonstrate the ability to perform with an increased usage while improving his passing, he would likely play himself into the first round.
I've been wondering. If he stays a year, does the 2019-to-20 age/experience adjustment to his draft stock have more to do with aging from 20 to 21 (old) or from having 1 to 2 years of college ball experience under his belt (still relatively inexperienced)?
Jordan I wish you all the luck, you got it in you man!
Thanks for the memories! A Wolverine always!
Go Blue!
Wish him luck. I get not wanting to stay at a place that isn't a good fit. I just hope he's ready for struggling in the G-league or overseas, at least initially.
Very odd player and person. None the less good luck and Go Blue!
I did enjoy watching him play most of the time, but his defense and shot selection weren't exactly stellar at times. I wish him all the luck in the world, but five years down the road, I fear that he is going to be the subject of one of those articles with a title like "Whatever happened to Jordan Poole - The Kid who Beat Houston in 2018?".
Maybe he'll play pro ball in Europe. I cant imagine anybody drafting him
I shouldn't be surprised. His NBA decision matches his shot selection. Have fun playing in Sioux Falls in the G league.
This made me laugh.
One great shot, one great shot of bad advice. Hope we are wrong. My upbringing saw kids take over a team especially in tourney time to raise their stock as a Senior or maybe as a one year early entry. No data to support on this one. Maybe the story will still be told.
Personally, I disagree with Brian's somewhat negative perspective. Poole is a great player who was the reason Michigan didn't get bounced in the second round of the tourney the past two years. Michigan ultimately probably suffered from giving the ball too little to him, not too much. So-called "hero ball" is the bread and butter of great offensive players. Like any player, he has his flaws. But his elite offensive skills were handcuffed in the college game and in an offense which limited his opportunities. And his defense wasn't nearly as problematic as perceived - he was second on the team in steals for pete's sake! His infectious enthusiasm and love for the game made Michigan basketball a joy to watch.
I don't know if he made the best decision given his projected draft position. But I think he has NBA talent and will likely prove it if given the opportunity by an NBA team. As he showed many times, he could literally take over a game and make it a blow out. I sincerely hope he proves the doubters and haters here wrong. I am betting that he will.
Best of luck, JP! I will continue to be a huge fan.
Exactly what elite offensive skills did the structure of the offense prevent Poole from showcasing? I'm honestly curious, because I'm a bit desperate for a reason to not think a Michigan man is making a terrible life choice right now.
The Beilein system is predicated on taking good shots within the flow of the offense. Does that sound like Poole? He wants to do some iso ball and then fall back shooting a 23 footer. He does.
It's amazing how many people actually think Poole will improve his stock more in college than in some pro league somewhere. He won't. Let's go about this a different way.
Do you think Jamal Crawford would improve back in the day in the Beilein offense or going somewhere doing his cross over dribble and launch the 25 foot shot? Some guys just need to play pro ball and not college ball. Kobe, Shaq, etc.
Exactly! All of these elite players would be crippled in the college game, especially in Michigan's offense this past year. I do take exception with the inclusion of Shaq though - I don't think he had any elite skills - he was just one massive dude.
oh, sweet holy hell. go watch some highlights of shaq at lsu. he was every bit the once-in-a-lifetime talent that zion williamson is, and more. way more.
April 23rd, 2019 at 10:48 PM ^
I mean, if he was elite at going iso, Michigan sure could have used a guy like that. Problem is he’d do it whether it was a good idea or not, and he certainly wasn’t NBA elite at it when he did. It would be one thing if he was playing hero ball at high efficiency and knocking down a ton of shots. But he really wasn’t.
April 23rd, 2019 at 11:12 PM ^
Have you watched the NBA? Have you watched players like Curry, Harden, Kobe, etc? It doesn't sound like you have. They all have horrible droughts where they aren't making anything. But they are the best of the best, all time great shooters. They play through it and start making shots. Most of the time, Poole didn't have that chance at Michigan. He'd miss a couple shots and that would be the game.
In the loss against Texas Tech, he was our best shooter at 50% but only took 8 shots, only three from beyond the 3 point line. In our loss against Nova in the title game, he took only 5 (!!) shots, only 2 from beyond the 3 point line. I could go on and on. There just weren't enough opportunities much of the time to showcase his offensive talents.
Look, like many here, you seem to have your mind made up, no matter the facts. Just don't knock him now and then claim to be a fan of his when he has any success in the future.
April 23rd, 2019 at 11:45 PM ^
He played 33 minutes a game on a team that sure as hell could have used a Steph Curry, or at least a Nik Stauskas. It’s not like he couldn’t have made his chances. Do t get me wrong, he’s a very good college player, but the idea that he’s elite in anything but flashes is crazy.
He’s rated very late second round right now. I think he’s going to be lucky to spend more than 2 years out of the next 5 on an NBA roster. You think he’s Kobe. Somehow I’m the crazy one.
April 24th, 2019 at 12:56 AM ^
I never said he was Kobe, Curry or anybody else. His game is similar in style to some NBA scorers like these. My point was that even these ultra elite players take bad shots and have massive droughts shooting the ball - JP isn't even in their class yet isn't apparently supposed to take any bad shots or have shooting slumps. Stauskas played with a PG who was a great shooter so it's not a good comparison.
At least it seems we agree about his flashes of potential. I don't know whether he will make it in the NBA or not but he has a chance, better than many realize.
Cheers.
The guy is a sophomore who was only a starter for a year. His “slump” was basically the whole second half of the season and the tournament. It’s like 40% of the relevant data we have on him! Yeah, great players sometimes go a little cold, but not for a third of their career. There’s a reason he’s real low on draft boards right now - streaky shooter with inconsistent defense and average athleticism who chafes at being expected to play a role is not a super hot commodity.
Look, it’s entirely possible he’s better off moving on. I’m not saying the Michigan situation is definitely the best fit for him, or that he’d obviously become a first rounder if he stuck around for a year. But this whole idea that the only reason he’s not an obvious NBA star is because Beilein holds him back is crazy. We know what an NBA player in his role looks like playing for John Beilein - Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert, and Poole has not shown their levels of play outside of a very few highlight games. Heck we know what a better version of Poole looks like in Beilein’s system because, hey, there are those flashes. But if he doesn’t get way more consistent against better competition I just don’t see him sticking in the NBA, if he even gets there.
Would he look better if Simpson could shoot and Iggy could pass? Probably, but a) that’s not on Beilein’s system and b) that would probably result in fewer of the “give it to Poole and let him do his thing” opportunities you seem to think he needs to shine. The idea that he’d magically become more efficient if he went from 20% to 30% usage feels like wishful thinking.
Again I really hope this works out for him. He had a key role on two really fun to watch Michigan teams so I’d love to see him succeed. Maybe he turns into Tim Hardaway Jr. with a better 3 pt shot and has a good journeyman NBA career, but even that seems like a ceiling and frankly a pretty long shot. But hey, Poole loves taking those.
April 24th, 2019 at 11:36 AM ^
Michigan has given ISO players plenty of opportunities under Beilein, so I really don't buy this logic. Jordan Poole isn't Jamal Crawford and never will be - Poole wasn't even the best ISO player on the team.
I agree that Michigan probably isn't a good fit for Poole himself, but I don't think it has anything to do with his playing style or Beilein's.
Go back and watch some high highlight reel drives from earlier in the season or any of the games where he led the team in scoring. Maybe you can just watch the one drive where he basically singlehandedly eluded the entire defense and took it to the rim or another drive where he had multiple elite moves and eluded several players, again taking it to the rim.
And when he has an open three or a decent look, he's easily Michigan's best shooter. That's why he was making 50 percent from three early in the season - before opposing defenses started to focus on him and Michigan failed to respond with enough schemes to get him open more. There's a reason he took the game winning shot as a freshman in last year's tourney. It wasn't an accident. There was a highlight of him making the exact same shot in high school.
I even saw him swish a Steph Curry distance three in a high school all star game. He has the skills and just needs the opportunity.
April 23rd, 2019 at 11:00 PM ^
Or you could watch the drives where he recklessly plowed into the lane and gave up a turnover. Or when he jacked up early shot clock contested NBA threes. Or the second half slump where he couldn’t even hit the wide open threes at more than a “just okay” rate. Sure, at his best he looks amazing. No one says he doesn’t have potential, just that he’s extremely inconsistent. It’s unclear why the inconsistency is Beilein’s fault. I doubt Beilein watched the highlights you mentioned and then yelled at the kid - the “definitely NBA ready version” of Poole would have been an extremely welcome piece of the Beilein offense.
On the one hand, you want me to believe he’s an elite ball handler who needs to be given more chances to create his own shot. On the other hand his lack of production this season is apparently all his teammate’s fault for not giving him enough uncontested looks. Those are not quite totally but kind of mutually exclusive. An NBA ready player doesn’t need to make excuses like that - he shines in the opportunities he gets, and Poole had plenty of opportunity.
April 24th, 2019 at 12:06 AM ^
"the drives where he recklessly plowed into the lane and gave up a turnover." Haha, I think you have him confused with Matthews or Iggy (although I love them too). That rarely happened with Poole. Or you just have a selective and distorted memory. He also extremely rarely shot an early shot clock three, let alone "early shot clock contested NBA threes." And I never blamed Beilein or his teammates. There was probably a better way to use him but there are some natural constraints in the college game, including sometimes the skill sets of other players.
Look, I get it. You don't like Poole. Unlike other players, he's not allowed to have a defensive lapse, miss a shot or make a turnover. I don't understand it at all but you're entitled to your opinion. If so, you shouldn't have been rooting for Michigan in the tourney, especially past the second round, since Poole got them there.
Ah yes, the classic "if you don't agree with my Maize colored glasses assessment, you're a hater and shouldn't bother being a Michigan fan".
I like Jordan Poole as much as it is possible for me to like a guy I have no connection to other than the school he attended. I have every hope that he succeeds, and wish him no ill will as he moves on in his career. Would have loved to see him play another year, but if is convinced it's not a great fit then it probably isn't.
I just don't agree that he's an obvious NBA talent based on how he performed this year. Poole, his family and you want to blame Simpson and Beilein for failing to give him enough opportunities. You think I should compare his game to the "style" of Curry (a great college player, btw) and Kobe. I think a better comparable is, well, the other wings in the Beilein era, and in that sense he's good-not-great, and many of the things you claim he is "elite" at are things that those other wings were demonstrably better at in the same system. It might be true that the "best" version of Poole needs a different environment to really shine. On the other hand I think the "best" version of Poole would still have looked a lot better this year, even with the limitations of the system and other players.
"Poole got them there". No more or less than any other starter. He was the second best scorer and weakest defender on the starting 5 of a 30 win Sweet Sixteen team with a great defense and a good-not-great, inconsistent offense. He had a good first weekend of the tourney, but the whole team did. He also contributed his share to the low points of the season. I don't think Poole ever really "carried the team". He was great while the team around him was great, and poor while the rest of the team struggled. That's not really intended as a knock by the way - for the umpteenth time, he's a very good college player. It's just that I think elite players can and should more frequently "carry" a team, should still be the best player on the floor even on a tough night when the rest of the team struggles. I don't think Poole was ever really that guy, for example I don't think you can look at any of the MSU losses or the TTech loss and say "man, Poole was great, if only the rest of the team had been equally on".
Is he the only guy on the team that made mistakes? Of course not. But he did seem to be the most inconsistent guy and the guy that responded least well to coaching and criticism. I'm not holding him to any harsher standard than any other player in terms of his play.
Jordan Poole doesn't have enough to his game to actually be one of these players. He's not a good ball handler, he's not a consistent enough shooter. The college game isnt hampering his stock, his lack of consistency and talent is hurting his stock. He has zero elite offensive skills, hes not even an elite shooter, hes an above average shooter in college with poor ball handling skills or atleast not enough ball handling skills to create his own shot. He wont make it anywhere because his attitude is the most of his problems.
I was watching some G league basketball? Wow. Poole will do very well. He definitely made the right decision. Get into a league that won't constrain his desire to be a Steph Curry lite player.
Good luck, Poole. I have a hard time seeing you getting drafted, but if this place isn’t a fit for you, then I can’t blame you one iota for wanting a change of scenery.
April 23rd, 2019 at 11:11 PM ^
Bottom line: ESPN Draft stock for Poole is 55 which is the bottom of the second round. He will have to have a huge summer league to make an NBA roster even if he gets drafted.
That ranking is not a turn pro situation, which means he is leaving for other reasons and believes the G League or Europe will be better suited for his development.
April 23rd, 2019 at 11:28 PM ^
Poole realizes he is probably not going to make an NBA roster. What he also realizes is he needs to start launching 24 foot shots on a regular basis and working on his NBA game sooner rather than later.
If Poole hits 40% of his 3 pt NBA shots he will eventually be in the league. Go back and watch Poole before UM, his entire game looked like it belonged in the NBA and not college.
Which is fair. If you don't think UM is preparing you for the league, then you need to go somewhere that you think will get you ready for that. Maybe a change of scenery is all he needs.
He always had the kind of game that, when it was on, he could carry the team on any given night. But this year, he was more off than on. Whether that's a byproduct of the system or just his own inability to stay consistent, I'm not too sure. My money is on some of both. But can't blame a guy for looking out for his future.
I imagine we'll see him in the G-league or overseas next year, but I do hope he makes it to the big time one day. He's got the game for it.
And what are the chances he makes 40% of NBA shots? I'll give it a realistic chance of about 5%. He is not that kind of shooter when you combine his height, size, athleticism, and quickness with pure shooting ability and release time it all points to a guy below 40%.
I thought he stood the most to gain for coming back another year out of all the UofM players who declared, but I also understand and support his decision to start his professional career. Best of luck, JP, will always be a big fan
April 23rd, 2019 at 10:03 PM ^
I agree with remdog. There is some nasty revisionist groupthink happening with Poole right now. His shot is the reason Michigan played in the National Championship. His play in the mid-part of this season is why Michigan was a top three outfit. He did struggle down the stretch. Part of that is on Jordan Poole and part of that is on the way Michigan structured their offense. NBA guards take a hell of a long time to learn the position. They need reps in the pick and roll to figure out what they need to do. Coach B, who I otherwise love, didn't do the best job this year with Poole. I think the two of them never really meshed. It happens.
Once it became clear that Poole was Michigan's lone player who could get his shot and pass pass the ball, he should have been given more chances to handle the ball early in the shot clock. He also should have been running off more screens. It's tough because X's guy can sag off him. That said, Poole was, for all his faults, the most dynamic player on this offense in terms of getting his own shot and creating for others.
It's still a bad decision to leave. But I think its' a bit of sour grapes to pretend like Michigan did the best job with his skill set this year.
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