SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole wasn’t fazed when Chris Paul tried chirping him during Wednesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
By the time CP3 got into his ear, Poole had already found his groove and locked in.
“It was a little bit too late if he was trying to get me going,” Poole said after the 107-103 loss at Chase Center. “I feel like I was already going a little bit.”
Yeah, just a little bit.
Poole sparked life into the Warriors’ offense after the Suns jumped to an early 12-2 lead, scoring 15 points in the first quarter as he helped the team rebound from the deficit.
All said and done, he recorded a season-high 38 points, which tied his career high set last May. He also grabbed a career-high-tying nine rebounds and dished out seven assists.
Playing alongside Poole Wednesday gave Draymond Green a sense of nostalgia. In the first quarter, Green handed the ball off to Poole and set a screen as the third-year guard launched a three.
“It felt so normal, like clockwork,” Green said. “The reality is I think he’s just learning. He’s learning how to make the game easier for himself. One thing we know and the world knows now is he can score the basketball, he can get any shot he wants…
“Get off the ball, keep moving and the ball will find you again, and he’s getting better at that and now you look at how he’s moving without the ball and then at some point you add Steph Curry’s movement back without the ball and that’s dangerous. So I thought it was a step in the right direction.”
Poole has caught the attention of the entire league this month, the best of his career. The crafty scorer is averaging 25.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 16 games and 11 starts in March. He’s shooting 49.5% overall, 44.4% from three-point range and 89.9% on free throws.
In Wednesday’s game, Poole, who’s leading the league in made 3-pointers this month (67), converted on seven of his 15 attempts from three.
Wednesday was the 15th straight game he’s scored 20 or more points, making him only the 10th Warrior to have a 20-point streak of that length.
Opponents have started to throw two defenders at him to slow his offensive production. But he’s still found ways to impact the game.
“He’s right there with all the top scorers in the league. Case in point, they’re all hard to stop because they do it in so many ways; at the rim, from midrange, from three, body movement,” Suns coach Monty Williams said before the game. “The tough part about Jordan is he’s learning how to play like Steph. He understands that when Draymond has it at the top and he’s close by, that’s a quick [dribble handoff] or quick pass and screen… The corporate knowledge he has in this program has allowed for him to be an even better player.”
Green said Paul arguing with Poole was a “beautiful sign.”
“That means they know about you, you got them on alert,” Green said. “Because if you didn’t, he wouldn’t waste his time talking to you. So it’s a beautiful sign, and he didn’t back down. It’s great to see.”
Poole, a former G League role player, has yet to play in an NBA postseason, but he believes his encounter Wednesday with Paul resembled a playoff atmosphere.
“You can’t back down from anything,” Poole said. “It’s a really good team over there and they have really good players. But we’re here and we’re stepping up to the challenge every single time. If somebody’s got something to say, then I’ll probably say something back.”
Or he’ll let his game do the talking, as it’s done all month.
“I feel good right now,” he said. “Every shot that I’m shooting, I’ve shot at practice over and over and over and over. I’ve been running these same plays; we’ve been running the same plays since the beginning of the season. You kind of catch a rhythm, it’s a long season. I guess where I am just personally, where I’m able to capitalize right now feels good, but we’ve got to win games, to be honest.”
