Where does Jordan Poole fit into the fabric of the upcoming Warriors-Mavericks matchup? The Athletic’s Anthony Slater joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” to break down the X’s and O’s of the Western Conference Finals, including Poole’s role. Check out the full interview below:
“To me, (Poole) is a swing player in this series,” Slater told hosts Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. “On the other end, I think Kidd is going to double Steph (Curry) a lot and make others beat the Mavericks. Jordan Poole is the answer to that a lot of times, where he’s swinging to the other side – it can be Poole going to the rim, Poole getting open shots. But he’s not gonna be able to stay on the floor if Steve Kerr doesn’t trust him in defensive coverages. I think that’s on the Warriors coaching staff to create an environment when you’re not allowing Jordan Poole to have to sit there and get pounded on post-ups by Luka Doncic. But also, it is on Jordan Poole to be physical in those moments and if they are gonna hedge and get back to get coverage, to do it quickly.
“It is a test for Jordan Poole. But to be honest, Jordan Poole keeps passing tests. Every different level this season – it seems like, ‘Maybe he’s hit a wall,’ or maybe, ‘When he gets benched, how is he gonna handle it?’ – he keeps breaking through and impressing. In the first round, the second round. This is a different test than we’ve seen from him, but he’s passed ‘em all really to this point in his career.”
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