Jordan Poole wraps up tumultuous season with the Warriors ahead of uncertain offseason

SAN FRANCISCO — What was the biggest thing Jordan Poole learned from a volatile season that saw him get punched by a teammate, sign a nine-figure extension and end with a role reduction and intense scrutiny on the game’s biggest stage?

“I learned a lot of stuff,” Poole said. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Poole spoke Saturday morning at Chase Center after his exit interview with the organization, just about 13 hours after the Warriors’ season ended in Los Angeles with a loss to the Lakers. Poole had another rough night on Friday, only tallying seven points on 3-of-10 shooting and missing all three 3-pointers.

It wrapped up a really difficult series for the fourth-year guard. After a 21-point effort in Game 1, Poole only scored 29 points in the last five games, making only 13-of-43 shots (30.2%) and just one of 17 3-pointers (5.9%).

The struggles on the court seemed to be met by visible frustration from Poole throughout the Western Conference semifinals. Poole was shown expressing his displeasure at being substituted out early in Game 4, a game where he only played 10 minutes and didn’t score a single point for the only time this season. After that game, Poole faced inward towards his locker while answering questions from the media.

The on-court struggles and off-court frustration are part of why, entering the offseason, Poole is being identified as a possible candidate to be traded away by the Warriors. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith advocated for the Warriors to do that this week on First Take, even before the series ended.

With the spotlight on him only likely to increase, how does Poole handle the noise?

“It just comes with it. The stuff that we are seeing people say now, whether it’s on social media, Instagram, Twitter, these are the same people that were saying the same things 20 years ago. They just didn’t have the outlet,” Poole said. “They didn’t have the opportunity to; they were just reading newspapers or listening to the radio. So like I said, it’s 2023, and it’s what we grew up in, our generation. We’ve got to adjust, adapt. I feel like we are used to it.

“We are all out here to play hard and try to win games.”

The 24-year-old wasn’t in the most forthright mood on Saturday, answering a question on what message he received in his exit interview with, “Not sure I can share that information.”

How does Poole evaluate himself in games where he doesn’t perform his best?

“I think every player wants to go out and have a good game every game, and it doesn’t work that way sometimes,” Poole said. “Find ways to get better. Find ways to learn. You can always add to your game or your skillset, and definitely looking forward to that.”

So what does Poole want to add to his skillset, then?

“There are so many things that you can always add to your game,” Poole said. “Probably sit down, evaluate, think what’s best. That’s what the summer’s for. Wish I had answers for you but I don’t.”

Poole did admit that he felt his role changed between last year’s playoff run and this year’s, and it really fluctuated perhaps more than anyone on the roster. After signing a four-year, $128 million dollar extension before the season, Poole bounced in and out of the starting lineup, starting 47 of 95 total games, and saw his minutes per game average drop from 30 in the regular season to 21.8 in the playoffs, something his teammates know is not easy.

“It’s not easy to have your role change from game-to-game and week-to-week,” Kevon Looney said on Saturday. “There were times Steph was out, Wiggs [Andrew Wiggins] is out [and] he’s carrying us and playing 35, 40 minutes and taking a lot of shots and holding down the fort. And other times he’s coming off the bench and playing spot minutes. I think he did a good job handling that.”

Poole’s minutes also dropped in the playoffs because his performance on the court did, too. His points per game average went down nearly in half, from 20.4 in the regular season to 10.3 in the postseason. He had one fewer assist per game (4.5 to 3.5) and his 3-point shooting percentage cratered to 25.4% (in the playoffs last year, Poole shot 39.1% from deep).

Given that the tumultuous season started with Poole getting punched in the face by Draymond Green, it’d be fair to wonder if that moment lingered. But Poole didn’t think so when asked.

“We made it to the second round of the playoffs. We had a good season,” Poole said. “Guys stepped up and had a lot of exciting moments. I don’t think there was anything that changed any of that.”

For a core that’s won four titles in the last nine seasons, the second round of the playoffs isn’t good enough. It’s why some feel Golden State is set for some big changes to come this offseason.

But while Poole’s future with the Warriors is uncertain, he knows he’s still got the support of his teammates, even with so much drama surrounding his season.

“​​I feel like he did a great job of [handling the drama],” Wiggins said. “He worked hard. He competed. He’s always coachable. He’s someone that the whole team likes to be around. So I feel like he did a great job.”

Donte DiVincenzo added, “I’ll ride with Jordan till the wheels fall off to be honest with you. The amount of attention he has, the spotlight on him, I see him come in every day and [he] never changed his work ethic, never changed the type of person he is. For that, I have a great deal of respect for him.”