Why Draymond punch shouldn't overshadow what Poole meant to Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO – From drafting Chris Washburn third overall in 1986 to the Don Nelson-Chris Webber beef in 1994 to Latrell Sprewell choking coach P.J. Carlesimo in 1997 to Mookie Blaylock opting for the golf course as his teammates practiced in 2001, Golden State Warriors lore is rife with moments that bring infamy, or shame, to the franchise.

And, yes, this is only a partial list.

Yet nothing in the deep well of the inglorious history of the Warriors quite compares to Draymond Green’s right fist to the face of Jordan Poole in October 2022.

Though it is impossible to separate Poole’s image from that ugly instance, that should not overshadow what he meant to the Warriors.

When Poole takes the floor Friday night at Chase Center, he’ll be wearing the jersey of the woebegone Washington Wizards. There will be a 30-second video tribute to him as the only young player essential to their championship run in the spring of 2022.

Those highlights will remind the sellout crowd and Poole’s former teammates of his significant contribution to what might be the last NBA Finals triumph for the Warriors of this era.

He was an integral part of the championship family.

“Our team has been built in a very unique fashion over the last decade,” coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. “Mostly shooting, not a lot of scoring at the rim, bigs being more screeners and facilitators. There have been times – key times – during this run where we've needed to find scoring. And Jordan gave us that.

“Once he really found his groove, third year, he was in transition, point of attack. His ability to get past people changed our team.”

Poole was the one player on the roster with a killer first step. That led to buckets at the rim or free throws, sometimes both. During the 2021-22 regular season, he averaged 18.5 points per game on 44.8-percent shooting from the field, including 36.4 percent from deep and NBA-leading 92.5 percent from the line.

That was good. Poole took a leap in efficiency in playoffs: 22 games, 17.0 points per, on 50.8-percent shooting, including 39.1 percent from beyond arc, 91.5 percent from the line. He was perfect third guard behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

“You think about the injuries to Klay for the first half of that championship year, with Jordan starting, playing next to Steph,” Kerr said. “Then Steph being out late in the season, into the playoffs, Jordan able to step in and fill his shoes as the point guard.

“You can't minimize his contributions playing either spot giving us scoring. And then that playoff run, he was lighting it up over and over again. We don't win that championship without him.”

Well, no, they don’t. But there was more to the mix than Poole’s production. That team was better than the sum of its parts because there was a strong sense of camaraderie that got even tighter in the postseason.

Andrew Wiggins was particularly close to JP and even now refers to him as a “little brother.” There is a measure of poignancy when listening to Wiggins describe the vibe around the team during that run to the championship.

“The way the whole team was,” he recalled. “The way we were all connected. The way we were all jelling on and off the court, supporting one another. It was a great environment to be a part of and a great environment to see.”

The Warriors were back on top. They had managed to navigate the most complex equation in the NBA, the delicate balance of getting decorated veterans and callow youngsters to blend their skills at an exquisite level.

And, four months later, barely a week into training camp, it all blew up.

Thanks to leaked video and social media, Poole was on the blunt end of a punch seen around the world. It wrecked a defending championship season. It blew up the carefully constructed bridge to tomorrow the Warriors thought they were building. It changed the trajectory of the franchise and was the first indication that Draymond’s famous fury had taken a U-turn toward infamy.

It also forced Poole’s career to take a detour. He went from potential franchise cornerstone being tutored by present cornerstones Curry and Green – JP’s locker stall was right next to that of Draymond – to someone the Warriors, for the sake of all involved, had to trade.

“I really look at Jordan as a huge success story,” Kerr said. “It doesn’t happen often that the 28th pick works his way up to key player on a championship team. Life-changing contract. It really couldn’t have gone any better.

“And I hate the way it ended.”

Poole’s time in the Bay Area deserves to be defined not by his being smacked in the face by a bigger, bolder, older teammate but for helping the Warriors win a championship. One even they did not see coming.

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