Jordan Poole was one of the NBA’s most promising young stars as of last season, most fans assumed that Poole would be Steph Curry‘s successor at Golden State, however, they were mistaken as Poole was just traded for Chris Paul and is now heading to the Washington Wizards. The move is certainly a questionable one as Poole was on the brink of achieving star status due to his excellent play.
Poole was traded for the veteran Chris Paul who Golden State is attempting to establish as either the main facilitating point guard or the leader of the second unit. The main reason for Poole’s abrupt departure would have to be his physical conflict with Draymond Green back in October 2022. Nevertheless, the consensus among fans is that the Warriors let go of a young piece for an again veteran whose role in the squad is yet to be decided on.
Jordan Poole played with Jaren Jackson Jr. for La Lumiere
Jordan Poole is originally from Milwaukee Wisconsin, home of cheese curds and the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo. Poole was drafted by the Warriors in 2019 with the 28th overall pick. Originally coming off the bench, Poole quickly blossomed into a gifted scorer with handles that would impress Kyrie Irving himself. Jordan became the third ‘Splash Brother’ and was set to be the future of the franchise.
Although he was selected relatively low in the draft, Poole was a standout scorer for his high school team the Milwaukee Kings. In his two years playing for the Kings, he averaged 16.1 points, 1.5 assists, 1.3 rebounds, and almost a steal a game.
“We’d sub [Jordan Poole] in and be like ‘alright we’re not blowing this team out by enough.’ We had a little play for him to get a 3, it worked every time man. He just cashed out”.
Jaren Jackson Jr’s high school squad was STACKED 😤
(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/8vXt34ywmQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 25, 2023
Jordan also met and became close with future NBA star and DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. at his one-year stint at La Lumiere, a boarding school located in LaPorte, Indiana. The star duo helped the powerhouse program win the DICK’S Sporting Goods High School Nationals championship.
In this scenario, Jordan came off the bench and was utilized more as a specialty scorer whereas Jackson Jr. was the superstar and ultimate defensive presence of the team. Still, Jackson Jr. recognized Poole’s presence and the two became fast friends bonding over 1v1 matches and NBA 2K during the off-hours. Their close bond remains to this day despite the close playoff series they’ve played against each other.