Game Thread: Warriors take on Wizards as Curry returns from injury

Curry is back in time to meet his former student Jordan Poole.

The Golden State Warriors have skipped out to a 5-1 start using a great combination of new complementary veterans and a youth movement being raised to play basketball under Coach Steve Kerr’s vision.

But they’ve had to do it for the majority of the time without their face of the franchise, the greatest player alive, Stephen Curry. The Unanimous One has been out nursing an ankle injury, but he makes his return tonight on the East Coast to square off with the man who was supposed to be his protoge: Jordan Poole.

Golden State Warriors at Washington Wizards

When: November 4th, 2024 | 4:15 PM PT

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area

Radio: 95.7 The Game

Imagine, if you will, a brotherly bond born on the hardwood, where laughter and lessons went hand in hand. The relationship between Poole and Curry during their time with the Warriors could best be described as a combination of playful mentorship and tough lessons.

Steph was the established superstar—the face of the franchise and a two-time MVP whose game redefined what was possible with a basketball in your hands. Poole was the young, sometimes erratic apprentice, arriving in the league full of swagger but lacking the polish and poise that define greatness. Over time, Poole showed flashes of brilliance, especially during the 2021-2022 season, when his scoring helped power the Warriors to another title. His shooting range, craftiness, and confidence were Curry-esque, and you could tell he was soaking up everything he could from Steph’s play style and work ethic.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. As Poole grew more confident and shouldered more responsibility, the competitive tension occasionally rose. Some friction emerged, especially as Poole sought to carve out his own place on a team so deeply shaped by Curry’s presence.

Poole was traded away to Washington, where he is carving out his own legacy away from the Golden Empire. He’s currently averaging 22.2 points per game on 46% shooting, 51% from beyond the arc. He’s also dishing out 5.4 dimes per game and snagging just under 3 steals per contest. Those are really good numbers and indicative of the type of player he was many a night in Golden State.

Now we’ll see who leads their team to victory tonight, but there’ll always be the good memory of how Curry and Poole used to terrorize the league together.