Why did the Warriors select Jordan Poole with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft?
"We drafted him for his ability to put the ball in the basket," coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Golden State's 123-101 loss to the Lakers on Saturday night. "You can see his confidence."
Yes, yes you can. It is oozing.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The rookie out of Michigan scored 17 points on 5-for-11 shooting overall. He went 4-for-9 from 3-point territory.
The moment was not too big for the 20-year-old, as he showed great poise:
Poole primarily is going play off the ball in the NBA, but he can get his teammates involved as well. He had 12 games as a sophomore with at least three assists.
But don't get it twisted -- his role will be to provide instant offense off the bench.
"He can shoot it, and he should continue to shoot it," Steph Curry told the media. "Take good shots. We need sparkplugs all up and down the roster. He can shoot the ball. He works at it and he's not shy.
Golden State Warriors
"You can always reel people back in. You can't really tell a guy who doesn't have confidence to just get confidence. You're either born with it or not."
Love this quote. It's similar to how Warriors general manager Bob Myers -- when discussing Draymond Green's passion over the years -- has repeatedly said that he would rather have a player who cares too much than not enough.
Poole's confidence has gotten him this far, and he's going to need to lean on it throughout his rookie season if/when he's in a slump.
[RELATED: How Chriss showcased skillset in impressive Warriors debut]
It's what enables him to do stuff like this:
We're not going to overreact to one exhibition game and say Poole is destined for NBA stardom. But we are going to say that he passes the eye test and looks like a guy who belongs.