Angry JP failing to deliver on promises, giving up bad habits originally appeared nbc sports birea
With four players unavailable from their optimal rotation on Friday night in Atlanta, the Warriors desperately needed Jordan Poole to be at his best. This was a major opportunity for The X-Factor to deliver.
And JP remained mired in the same quagmire that kept separating him from his immense promise.
Entering with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter and the Warriors holding a 23–16 lead over the Hawks, Poole committed two turnovers the rest of the quarter, missed his only two shots, and expressed disinterest in transition defense. It’s tough to be minus-15 in less than six minutes, but it is when your team is outscored 23-8 during that period.
Things got better for JP after a poor start, but he never caught fire like he sometimes does. He was plus-4 in the third quarter, scoring eight points, but was minus-5 in the fourth with only two free throws as Golden State’s comeback fell short. resulting in a 127–119 loss,
“We had some tough games,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Atlanta. “We had some turnovers down the stretch as well. We had some plays we want to get back. But you can always say that at the end of every game.
For his part, Poole finished with 12 points on 4 of 12 shooting from the field, going 2 of 8 from deep, four assists, three turnovers, two rebounds and posted a minus-11 in 24 minutes.
It’s not good, but JP has been here recently. He was minus-4 against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, plus-12 against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, minus-11 against the Milwaukee Bucks last Saturday, minus-33 and minus-3 against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 9 in Memphis. Was against Thunder two days before that in Oklahoma City.
It’s a cumulative minus-50 over the last six games, which bothers JP.
He was spectacular JP’s cumulative plus-67 in the five games before that.
Prior to this, he had a cumulative minus-40 in five matches. exciting.
That’s what Jordan Poole has experienced this season, a zigzag trajectory, a perfect example of inconsistency. And it’s presumptuous and probably wrong to trace this down to a pre-season spasm of violence from Draymond Green. JP is a shooter whose efficiency across the board – even from the foul line – is down significantly compared to last season. Turnovers are up, and many are the result of overdribbling or solo drives in heavy traffic.
Poole is very talented, he has many gifts, which can be defined by his bad habits. But those bad habits keep reappearing, and they are to the detriment of him and the warriors.
Coming to Atlanta was a chance for JP to make a move toward fixing things. The need for his talent was high. Andrew Wiggins is on a leave of absence, Draymond Green was serving a one-game suspension, Gary Payton II was in street clothes and Andre Iguodala awaits surgery on his left wrist. His absence created a huge void in the production.
Stephen Curry contributed 31 points, six rebounds and five assists. Klay Thompson contributed 15 points, a career-high-tying 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Kevon Looney had a regular-season career-high 18 points, 16 rebounds and a season-high four blocks. Steph and Clay split 12 turnovers evenly, apparently forcing the pass in hopes of igniting the action, but the Giants left pieces of themselves on the State Farm Arena floor.
Meanwhile, the Warriors’ bench was outscored 50-27. A backup guard named AJ Griffin did more for the Hawks, especially on defense, than JP did for the Warriors.
The result was Golden State’s 10th consecutive road loss.
Donate DiVincenzo said, “The solidarity needs to be a little bit more.” “But it’s tough when you have (only) 10 guys. Dry was out. Andre and Vigs. Gary. It’s tough.
“But we still have the firepower to win games on the road. Tomorrow is a big opportunity for us to make a comeback.”
Ah, tomorrow. That will be Saturday in Memphis, where the Warriors face the Grizzlies, arguably their most irritating of opponents.
Connected: Kerr still believes something good will happen with Warriors
The Vets prepare for a second night of back-to-back play. The Warriors will need more from the youth. This is another chance for JP to bring the firepower referenced by DiVincenzo. There is a great need for this.