Getty Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
This offseason will be a crucial one for the Golden State Warriors. After bringing home their fourth Larry O’Brien trophy in the span of eight seasons last year, they lost in the second round to the Los Angeles Lakers. It snapped Steve Kerr’s unbeaten streak in the Western Conference playoffs.
Now, Golden State will have to decide what path to take moving forward. Will they trade the young stars in an attempt to help Stephen Curry win another title? Or will they commit to the two timelines they’ve heralded for the last two years?
Well, according to Curry, Jordan Poole is the key to the latter. He told The Ringer’s Logan Murdock as much after the Warriors’ Game 6 loss to the Lakers.
“Following the game, I asked Curry how the Warriors could bridge the gap between the dynastic present and an unknown future,” Murdock wrote. “Curry paused, then glanced to his left, toward Poole’s locker, and pointed.
“’He’s the key,’ Curry said, for all to hear, before exiting the room.”
Poole struggled mightily during the Warriors’ playoff run. He battled inconsistency all season long, and in the team’s series against the Lakers, Poole melted under the pressure. He was barely able to see the floor in Kerr’s rotation.
Against the Lakers, Poole averaged 8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 34.5% from the field and 25.0% from behind the three-point line.
Stephen Curry Uncertain of Warriors Future With Jordan Poole & Youngsters
While Curry may have made it clear to Murdock that Poole is the key to bringing together the old core and new core, that doesn’t mean he’s sure of the team’s future. When asked about Poole and the other Golden State youngsters after the Warriors’ loss to the Lakers, Curry said that everyone needs to get better, but he’s unsure of what the future holds.
“Everybody’s going to get better. Everybody’s going to take the next step. Everybody’s going to learn the lessons that you learned this year and try to put them into use next year,” said Curry. “I don’t know what the opportunity is going to be. I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know what, sitting here right now, what Opening Night is going to look like in terms of who’s going to be asked to do what, but I have a lot of confidence in everybody being able to take advantage of the summer.”
Jordan Poole Breaks Silence on Struggles During Warriors Playoff Run
Meanwhile, when asked about his struggles throughout the postseason, Poole blamed his role change, also noting that every playoff run will be different.
“Probably just a little bit of a role change,” Poole said. “Last year, I could come in, score, be aggressive with the team that we had around being more of a facilitator. Trying to get guys off the ball. Get them easy shots. Throughout the course of the playoffs, we had two really good defensive teams that we played. Just trying to find ways to facilitate, get inside. It’s not always about scoring. It’s about finding ways to try to help her team be successful. I think every playoffs will be different. Everything won’t be the same. And like I said, you learn from that, grow from that, and apply it to your skill set.”
