The Golden State Warriors are currently on a historic 15-0 start to the NBA season and have become one of, if not the most popular sports team in America. As their domination continues, Steve Kerr’s starts remain a point of interest for fans across the country. However, at least one player has been playing poorly enough that he may be losing his starting position: Jordan Poole.
Klay Thompson’s latest update for Steve Kerr has not been good news for Jordan Poole. The Golden State Warriors’ star announced that he will be out of the lineup until at least January, which means that Jordan Poole may have to wait a while longer to make his NBA debut. Read more in detail here: what happened to klay thompson.
For the Golden State Warriors, who are 27-7, there hasn’t been much that has gone wrong. The Warriors, who will begin the new year as the Western Conference’s top team, will shortly be bolstered by 3-point shooter Klay Thompson. Thompson, who hasn’t played since the 2019 NBA Finals, won’t have to wait long to join fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry on the court. Klay’s comeback, on the other hand, comes at the price of Jordan Poole, one of Golden State’s most unexpected and productive players.
Steve Kerr, the head coach, has unveiled his starting lineup intentions for the future.
Thompson has had a hard journey back. During Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Toronto Raptors, the 31-year-old tore his ACL. The sharpshooter then tore his right Achilles during an offseason practice only weeks before the start of the 2020-21 season. Klay looks to be on the verge of returning after a 30-month hiatus.
Thompson participated in a scrimmage alongside Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and the rest of Golden State’s important players after Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets was postponed due to COVID-19 difficulties. It was the first time the five-time All-Star has scrimmaged with the squad since returning from his extended recovery.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area, head coach Steve Kerr remarked, “We had a wonderful scrimmage.” “That was Klay’s first time scrimmaging with our first group. So that was both entertaining to watch and beneficial to Klay and our squad. We went to work on some of our execution issues that have been bothering us lately. As a result, we changed a negative into a positive. “It was a nice warm-up.”
Kerr also revealed his ideas for his starting lineup whenever Thompson returns to the floor. And it seems that the three-time champion coach is making no effort to bring his star back into the lineup.
Kerr said, “Klay is going to start when he gets back.” “I’m not going to fool about with him and take him off the bench for a while.” That’s not something I’m going to do. He’ll get started. We’ll see what this implies for the remainder of the rotation. I’m aware of one thing. We have a lot of people who are capable of playing and being in the rotation and assisting us in winning games.”
With Klay Thompson’s return to the starting lineup, Jordan Poole’s time as a starter is over.
*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow
Despite his lengthy layoff on injured reserve, Thompson is expected to return to his former position in the backcourt next to Curry. Poole is going to become the largest loser, despite the fact that his return will be welcomed by many.
Poole, who is 6-foot-4, is forced to play the same position as Thompson, the veteran All-Star who Golden State has been waiting for for almost two years. While some experts have suggested easing Klay back in, Kerr believes he’ll be ready to go right away. Simply said, this means Poole may have to make an impact in games as a sub.
Poole’s ascent began last season and continued into the preseason. The 22-year-old is averaging a career-high 17.9 points on 44.2 percent shooting as Golden State’s starting shooting guard. Despite taking 1.5 fewer shots and playing five minutes less per game than Klay, the third-year guard is averaging approximately the same amount of points that Thompson did in his third season (18.4).
With the exception of a recent six-game layoff due to health and safety rules, Poole has been a consistent member of Kerr’s starting five this season. Despite enjoying a career year, the 2019 first-round selection out of Michigan seems to be nearing the end of his tenure as a starter.
Poole is expected to play a significant role for the Golden State Warriors this season.
While nothing is set in stone, Poole is expected to be cut whenever Klay returns. Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green are all set to start, while Golden State center Kevon Looney has started all 34 games. However, the skilled guard should continue to play a significant part for the squad in the future.
The Warriors’ only players averaging double digits, much alone 17 points or more, are Poole, Curry, and Wiggins. The 22-year-old is also one of four players who plays 30 minutes or more every night. So don’t expect Kerr to fully eliminate Poole’s playing time in favor of Thompson.
When Klay returns, though, the seasoned coach admits that finding playing time for everyone will be difficult.
Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area, “It’s not going to be easy.” “However, it’s a lot better than the alternative.” So I have a lot of choices. However, since there isn’t enough playing time to go around, it’ll be difficult, but it’s a nice issue to have.”
Thompson’s unavoidable return to action will have an impact on more than simply Poole. Damion Lee, Otto Porter Jr., and Gary Payton II are just a few of the essential role players that might have their minutes reduced. Klay is an improvement over all of them when he’s at his best. But, after two severe leg injuries, who knows how long it will take to see him at his best?
Perhaps the solution is for Thompson to start games while Poole continues to play the majority of shooting guard minutes, at least for now. In any case, Kerr is correct in predicting that this would be a difficult scenario to negotiate.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
Klay Thompson Issues a Warning Shot on behalf of the Warriors in First Place: ‘I Hope People Keep Doubting Us’
Watch This Video-
Related Tags
- how tall is klay thompson
- klay thompson salary
- jordan poole
