Jordan Poole's final year with the Warriors included a fist to the face from his teammate, Draymond Green, an early playoff exit and a trade to the Washington Wizards.
But not all of Poole's time in the Bay was negative.
As Golden State prepares to host Washington on Friday night at Chase Center, Poole and his former Warriors teammates shared with The Athletic's Anthony Slater some of their favorite memories during their four years together.
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“There was one game we were starting together where I think I went for 35 and he went for 30,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson told Slater. “We were playing the Jazz and came back from down 20. It was a great moment for us to know, you know, we can do this.”
The game Thompson is referring to was during the final stretch of the 2021-22 regular season. Poole replaced an injured Steph Curry for the final 12 games and averaged 25.8 points on 42.1 percent shooting during that period, with five rebounds and 6.2 assists in 35.4 minutes.
Curry returned for the playoffs, but Poole's production was just as consistent, averaging 17 points per game on 50.8 percent shooting that helped the Warriors secure their fourth NBA title in eight seasons.
“For him to do what he did,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Start the first 50 games, cede his position to Klay and then play a huge role in the playoffs. Started games, came off the bench, did everything that we needed Jordan to do.”
Golden State Warriors
Against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, Poole dropped 30, 29 and 27 points in the first three games of the series. Kevon Looney said that was one of his favorite memories of Poole, as he recalled a transition 3-pointer against DeMarcus Cousins.
“That’s when I was like, ‘Oh, he’s going to be really good,'” Looney told Slater. “Doing that in his first playoff experience, not nervous? Steph came off the bench, and he still put on a show.”
For Poole, his favorite game with Golden State was Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies. Kerr agreed.
In that game, Green was ejected for a hard foul on Brandon Clarke and Poole replaced him in the starting lineup in the second half. In an ugly shooting night for Curry, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, Poole stepped up big time, scoring 31 points on an efficient 12-of-20 shooting (60 percent) from the field and 5 of 10 (50 percent) from behind the arc.
“Oh, yeah, when we played Tyus [Jones] and them,” Poole told Slater while pointing to Jones, now his Wizards teammate. “Especially with it being on the road.”
“He bailed us out a lot in that playoff run,” Looney said.
Curry’s three favorite Poole moments all came during the 2022 NBA Finals. During the Game 6 clincher in Boston, it was Poole who sparked a 21-0 run that helped the Warriors defeat the Celtics and eventually be crowned champions.
“That was a beautiful thing,” Curry said. “But also the half-court shots. Games 2 and 5.”
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