On the same night Chris Paul helped engineer a wild comeback to beat the Kings in the Chase Center, the player the Warriors traded for the 12-time All-Star lit up the other coast in Madison Square Garden.
Former Warrior Jordan Poole, in his third preseason game with Washington, dropped 41 points in 27 minutes in a blowout Wizards victory. The 24-year-old guard needed just three quarters worth of action to showcase his ridiculous shot-making skills.
Poole went 10-for-19 from the floor — including 6-for-12 from deep — and canned 15 of his 16 free throw attempts.
Poole scored the Wizards’ first nine points and never slowed down. With the Wizards, who are expected to be among the worst teams in the NBA this year, he’ll have the ultimate green light.
At one point, Poole looked off wide-open Wizards forward Deni Avdija while scoring, which led to some clear frustration from Avdija. Poole’s confidence doesn’t shock anyone who watched him with the Warriors for the first four years of his career.
“I was telling everybody — he did that with Steph and Klay on the court,” former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo, now with the Knicks, said of Poole after the game. “He has the most confidence in himself, and the great thing about Jordan is he still carries himself as a young fella.”
Scoring was never the issue for Poole in Golden State. His defensive ability, decision-making skills and dynamic he brought to the locker room, though, eventually led to the Warriors dealing him to Washington.
For Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins and two future late draft picks, the Warriors brought in Paul — who spent a day as a Wizard in name only because of the Bradley Beal deal.
Paul is both a much different player than Poole and at such a different stage of his career. The scoring Poole brought, Paul can make up in all the ways the young guard was more deficient in.
In Golden State’s Wednesday night exhibition win, Paul scored five points in the last five minutes and tallied an assist. Steve Kerr harped praise on him for his ability to settle the team’s offense down the stretch.
“It’s fun having Chris Paul down the stretch to get us organized,” Kerr said.
“I think he makes Steph’s off-ball stuff better because wherever Steph goes, Chris will get him the ball,” Kerr added. “They had a couple plays where Steph was getting top-locked, and he had to make a back cut. One of the 3s on the left wing when he pump-faked, Chris got him the ball in perfect rhythm…Chris, he’s been doing this forever. He thrives down the stretch — that’s who he is.”
