Why Defense is Jordan Poole's Next Big Leap
If you ask around the league, the common consensus is that Jordan Poole is not that good of a defender. Some would actually attribute him to a turnstile of sorts, something people were keen on also attributing to the man Poole is the heir-apparent to (assuming the contracts all work out). This is an interesting narrative, but while Poole does have some defensive shortcomings, it’s not all doom and gloom on that end.
Poole’s draft report, per scouting sites NBADraft Net and NBA Scouting Live, he actually tracks as a serviceable defender, and his NBA numbers indicate that: Poole posted a 46% defensive field goal percentage. The league average in 2021-2022 was right there with it at 46%, so while he wasn’t necessarily a massively impactful defender on-ball, he could absolutely get the job done, and with the Warriors having so many defensively-capable players, they don’t need him to post absurd numbers.
It’s as an off-ball defender where some of the concern lies. Poole posted a 109.9 defensive rating while the Warriors as a whole put up a league-leading 106.9 rating, tied with the Boston Celtics, meaning the Warriors full rating was lowered by having him on the court. Given his on-ball defense appears to be league-average, it’s likely in the context of rotations, switches, and small missing-but-key details where he’s most lacking. His draft reports would indicate that as well, with some of his listed weaknesses being his full engagement at times.
JP is veering towards that category of offensively elite, a complete three-level scorer who can fill it up both on and off-ball with improving playmaking abilities which will develop with more veteran experience. So where Poole can make up the most ground is, as Steve Kerr has mentioned, on the defensive end:
So how does he do it? Really, it’s just a matter of upping his IQ and awareness, something which can come naturally as a Warrior if he can focus on that end of the floor, and probably also adding some weight. Poole’s frame has him track as somebody who would be a good defender with a little effort. He stands at around 6’4 with a 6’7 wingspan, the same measurements as league-renowned perennial lockdown Jrue Holiday. The difference between the two in terms of stature is that Holiday’s a lot stronger and sturdier: Poole clocks in at around 195 pounds, while Holiday is at 205. This allows the Bucks guard to body up against bigger defenders, preventing him from getting easily bullied. Bulking up is something which noticeably helped Steph Curry this season, so Poole could certainly take yet another page out of his book on that:
It was noticed how Curry looked stronger both before and during the course of this past season. You could see it in his game, and the numbers supported it as he posted his best defensive rating since 2017-2018 at 107.6, the 5th best in the league. Adding weight would not only help Poole defensively, but it would also give him a stronger drive to the rim with his already-well-balanced strides.
Adding some muscle would be key, but learning to use his body as a whole would also be helpful to improve Poole’s defense. While not a hyper-vertical athlete, his first step is one of the fastest in the league, and he has that side-to-side movement and footwork down which allows him to be shifty with the rock. This indicates he can move his feet to slide with his man and cut off driving angles: He’s quick, and he can parlay that into some good on-ball defense. Improvements to both his strength and just general technique would make hunting him like many teams did in the playoffs a lot harder.
The most important piece to add, however, if nothing else, is game IQ and attentiveness off-ball. This is probably the biggest thing to improve on, as it will raise the whole team’s floor if he can help and stunt at the right times, or veer his man into the help defense and recover on rotations as needed. This really requires a willingness to improve (which we know he already has) and attention on the defensive end. He needs to be locked in and focused when it comes to defense just as much as he can be on offense. Once thing which probably will help him plenty in that regard is his off-ball play on the other end of the floor. Steph Curry has been a great team defender for a long time despite the lack of recognition, and that’s in part because he has the instincts for how an offense moves as somebody who spends plenty of time off-ball himself. Adapting those tools to the defensive side will be important for JP moving forward.
This season will be a good litmus test on what Jordan Poole can do to continue expanding on the great leap he already made. He has the tools to be a plus-defender in addition to a complete offensive threat so long as he makes the necessary improvements. If he does, the Warriors will be able to run unfathomably good two-way lineup combinations, and it opens a lot of other combinations as well as the lauded “death lineup 2.0” which wreaked havoc on the Nuggets in the first round. The best part? It’s something he’s not just capable of doing, but likely to do. Poole’s been lauded as one of the hardest workers in the gym when it comes to Golden State, so that kind of improvement can certainly be on the horizon soon… if it isn’t already.
(Photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)