Jordan Poole Proved Himself on Christmas Day
When the Memphis Grizzlies strolled into San Francisco, Calif. on Christmas Day, many were expecting the Golden State Warriors to lose. Many sportsbooks had the Grizzlies as 5-point favorites, and with the Warriors still missing their superstar Stephen Curry and forward Andrew Wiggins, it seemed like the Grizzlies were going to have their way.
Despite the bright lights and the chatter, Warriors guard Jordan Poole responded with a huge performance. Poole registered 32 points on 11-for-25 shooting and nailed in three 3-pointers to lead the Warriors to a 123-109 victory. Despite being ejected around the nine minute mark of the fourth quarter, Poole was able to carry the Warriors offensively and the team ran away with a nice Christmas present.
“To come off that disappointing [1-5 road trip] the way we did tonight was really encouraging,” Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr said. “I just challenge the guys to build on it.”
Poole was also amongst Warriors legends on Christmas Day as one of the youngest Warriors to drop 30 points on Christmas.
In 1966, Rick Barry was 22 years old and Wilt Chamberlain was 23 in 1959 when they achieved that feat, according to a Reddit post.
Leading up to the Christmas Day game, the Grizzlies increased their trash-talking. When asked about what team the Grizzlies have to run through, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said he wasn’t worried about anyone in the West.
“I’m fine in the West,” Morant said.
Before the Christmas Day game, Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks had this comment to say about defending Warriors guard Klay Thompson, according to Commercial Appeal.
“I like that matchup better, because [Thompson] was talking a little smack when we lost,” Brooks said. “I’ll just show him what type of defense I got.”
With all the trash-talking leading up to the primetime matchup, Poole was able to block out the noise and perform on one of the highest levels in the regular season.
Poole was one of the 10 players that scored over 30 points on Christmas Day.
This game showed that Poole still had great potential as one of the league’s rising players, as he was able to to perform at a high level on one of the most anticipated games of the season without the team’s leader.
Throughout the game, Poole was cool, calm and collected as he was able to direct the offense without overthinking. Poole also had a pretty cool moment when Curry pulled him aside and gave him some pointers during the game.
For Poole, this season has been somewhat of an up-and-down ride. Going into the 2022-23 campaign, the Warriors had high expectations for Poole after signing him to a 4 year, $140 million contract extension.
Poole’s inconsistency has been well documented this season. While he has produced great games like the 43-point performance versus the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 18, the 36-point game in a tough loss to the Utah Jazz on Dec. 7 and another 36-point game versus the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 14, Poole has struggled to lead the second unit and keep the team in the game.
Kerr switched up his rotations and inserted Warriors forwards Draymond Green and Wiggins to help stabilize the bench for a while.
While this strategy proved to be worthwhile, Wiggins got injured and Kerr was once again forced to adjust.
With Curry out for the foreseeable future, Kerr adjusted to a three guard lineup of guard Donte DiVencinzo, Poole and Thompson. The amount of shooting and floor spacing proved to be problematic for the Grizzlies.
Poole had several memorable moments throughout the game. He went deep into his bag for his first pair of points on a step-back baseline jumper. Back-to-back 3-pointers and a floater put Poole at 10 points early on, and with Brooks all over Poole, Poole was able to create separation on a step-back and drain the 25-footer.
Poole remained aggressive throughout the game, as he got buckets through his constant off-ball movement — similar to that of Curry. Poole had a breakaway dunk midway through the third quarter and finished his night with a floater, cheering on the Chase Center crowd.
The Warriors prepare for a seven game homestand and look to build on the momentum.
(Photo credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)