Poole ‘extremely excited' for Mannion's future with Warriors

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Jordan Poole has emerged from the G League bubble a far more confident NBA player, but he's not the only young Warriors guard trying to make the most of an opportunity.

Nico Mannion is, too. The 20-year-old scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting in Golden State's 111-103 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, grabbing two rebounds in 12:49 of action.

Mannion earned high marks from Poole on Saturday, whom the rookie called one of his best friends on the team.

"I'm extremely excited for Nico," Poole told reporters in his postgame video conference. "That's the little bro, and he's fought so hard. He's gotten his opportunity, and he's made the most of it. Being able to come in in that second unit and just run the show, it's something that we need. 

"He's extremely talented and extremely aggressive, and he works hard. We'll just continue to keep teaching him ... and try to put him in the best position because we need him in order to be successful."

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Since the All-Star break, Mannion is averaging 6.5 points, 2.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds in just over 16 minutes per game. Mannion's shooting just 38.7 percent from the field, but he has made 37.5 percent of his 3-pointers and posted a 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Poole and Mannion are still finding their way together on the court, posting a minus-13.3 net rating in 87 minutes together during that time. Their bond off it is clear, though, as is Poole's belief in Mannion moving forward.

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