Draymond Green SNUBS Jordan Poole from teammates expected to step up in crucial Lakers-Warriors Game 5
Draymond Green leaves out Jordan Poole from list of expectations in a do-or-die Game 5 elimination
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Draymond Green (L) and Jordan Poole (R)
The Golden State Warriors are on the brink of elimination after losing Game 4 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. The Warriors now trail 3-1 in the Western Conference semifinals and face a must-win situation in Game 5 on Wednesday. Draymond Green, the Warriors’ vocal leader and defensive anchor, shared his thoughts on the Game 4 loss and Game 5’s prep-up on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.
He praised his teammates for their effort and singled out some of them for their contributions. Green mentioned Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Moses Moody, Donte DiVincenzo, Gary Payton II, and Andrew Wiggins as players who are expected to step up in Game 5.
However, the veteran forward left out one player who has been a key part of the Warriors’ offense this season: Jordan Poole.
“Klay will play better. I have no doubt in my mind. I’ll play better. Steph had an incredible game. I expect more of the same or even more from him. And everybody else will play great. Moses Moody has been giving us great minutes. Donte gave us some good minutes last night. GP (Gary Payton II) gave great minutes. Wigs (Andrew Wiggins) was aggressive,”
“Like, listen, I’m living with it. We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make down the stretch to win the game. We’ll make those plays. I have no doubt in my mind. So I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” Green said on his podcast.
Jordan Poole has gone cold since Game 1 of the series. He has scored only 11 points in the last three games combined, shooting 3-of-15 from the field and 0-of-7 from three-point range. He was held scoreless in Game 4 and played only 10 minutes before being benched by coach Steve Kerr.
How Jordan Poole can be the Warriors’ savior, according to NBA analyst
The Warriors have struggled to score against the Lakers’ defense. Poole is the only other player on the Warriors who can create his own shot and run a pick-and-roll offense with Green or Wiggins. He is also a capable shooter from beyond the arc, making him a threat to stretch the defense.
ESPN analyst and former NBA player Tim Legler emphasized Poole’s importance for the Warriors on GET UP ESPN. “Jordan Poole is a guy that averaged 20 points a game for them. He’s also the only other guy they have that you can put in ball-screen offense and go create something. He’s the closest replica to Curry when he’s not on the floor that they have. And he has been a complete non-factor since Game 1.“
The Warriors are waiting on Poole to regain his confidence and rhythm in Game 5. Otherwise, they might be saying goodbye to their season sooner than they expected.
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Ankush Singh
(616 Articles Published)