Former Warriors guard Jordan Poole puts on a show during his preseason debut with his new team, the Washington Wizards. It was definitely a historic night for the rising star, one that he and Wizards fans will not forget this season. With such an exceptional display of talent, this brings us to the question: Is Jordan Poole going to be an All-Star this season?
Jordan Poole shows up with a 41-point performance against the Knicks in the Garden
New York – The Washington Wizards go head-to-head against Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and the New York Knicks in the 2023-2024 preseason. The biggest highlight of the night is the Wizards’ newly acquired star, Jordan Poole. The 24-year-old shooting guard erupted for 41 points in a very efficient shooting of 52% (10-19) from the field, 50% (6-12) from behind the arc, and 93% (15-16) from the charity stripe.
Jordan Poole tonight:
41 Points
52% FG
50% 3P
93% FTBuckets. 🔥🔥🔥
(via @7rsterling)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 19, 2023
Aside from his 40-piece output, Poole also managed to get 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists in just 27 minutes of play. Overall, it was a truly outstanding performance from the 2022 NBA champion. The Wizards came out with a blowout win against the Knicks, 131-106, to mark their second win in the preseason.
Is Jordan Poole going to be an All-Star in the 2023-2024 season?
In his last season as a Warrior, Jordan Poole was looking like a borderline All-Star. In the 2022-2023 regular season, JP broke out as a legitimate scorer, putting up 20.4 points in 82 games. Despite being a third option(or even fourth sometimes, behind Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins), he was for sure a bucket-getter. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen during the 2023 playoffs which ultimately led to him being traded by Golden State in exchange for Chris Paul.
In four seasons of play in the Bay Area, Poole was slowly becoming one of the most exhilarating shooting guards in the league. However, this would also become his kryptonite. Jordan Poole is a great offensive player who has the ability to create his own shot.
He’s a pretty decent career three-point shooter and an even better slasher. Unfortunately, the young gun is somehow inefficient and may even be ineffective at times. His 41-point outing against the Knicks in the preseason made history after he tied Michael Jordan‘s preseason debut with the Wizards, however, this superb performance was only given a +2 plus/minus rating. 41 points plus a couple of steals and assists is only a +2? Here are some reasons why we think Poole’s preseason debut wasn’t the best.
- JP’s shot-making decision isn’t what you would want for in a franchise player. Indeed Poole can create his own shots and score at will, but he sometimes fails to recognize his teammates. He also likes to take low-percentage shots which is great for the highlight culture but will take a toll on the team’s offense very soon. This fault was observed during the 2023 playoffs which forced the Warriors to exit in the second round.
- He had a lot of unforced errors. Sure, it was only four turnovers but the whole Wizards team only had 13 TOs, which means Poole made 31% of the team’s total turnovers. If this goes on for the whole season, this could be a bad spell for Washington.
Jordan Poole is going to be an All-Star this season if:
- The Wizards’ record in the 2023-2024 season reaches or goes above 0.500 (at least 41 wins). Before the regular season even starts, analysts believe that the Washington Wizards, with its new crew, will only get 24.5 wins. Especially now that the East is stacked with Damian Lillard joining the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s going to be a tough road for the Wizards in the Eastern Conference.
- Jordan Poole plays like a pure superstar and brings in some wins. There have been numerous players who have had All-Star numbers for many years before actually being selected to the All-Star game. Some of the names that come to mind are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and De’Aaron Fox. Both were just recently named All-Stars, but in the last three seasons, these two talented point guards were putting up more than 23 points and 5 rebounds. The only thing that held them was that their teams were continuously losing in the West.
To conclude, it’s too early to say if Jordan Poole will be an All-Star this season. The real battle hasn’t even started yet and he has only played 1 game for Washington so far. Although it was a good debut, the sample size cannot determine how great of a season Jordan Poole will have. He may make a great case as the 2024 Most Improved Player of the Year.
