Steph Curry knows that for the Warriors to reach their desired destination, Jordan Poole will have to play an important role.
The third-year guard has had an up-and-down season for Golden State. He opened the year in the starting lineup as Klay Thompson finished his Achilles rehab and proved to be a nice backcourt running mate for Curry. Since Thompson's return, Poole's play has ebbed and flowed as he tries to find his footing as a player who oscillates between the bench and the starting rotation.
Poole had a night to forget Sunday, as he went 0-for-7 from the field and scored just four points as the Warriors blew a 21-point lead in a 107-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. Even with Thompson out with an illness, head coach Steve Kerr elected to start Moses Moody and bring Poole off the bench, perhaps in an effort to give the Michigan product a more consistent role. With Poole struggling, though, Kerr only played him 19 minutes Sunday and gave most of his fourth-quarter time to Damion Lee.
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.
Curry discussed Poole's struggles after the game, revealing what the Warriors need to see from Poole going forward but noting that he has confidence in the electric guard's ability to figure it out.
"Yeah, he has been asked to do a lot this year, and he is still coming into his own as an experienced player," Curry said after the game. "He's had some success, had some struggles. Honestly, just making sure he is engaged. That's the biggest thing. No matter if he is making shots or not, how many minutes he is playing. Just making sure he is engaged because he is going to help us. He is going to help us win games when it matters.
"For him to be who he wants to be in this league, I think he has to have a little bit of versatility. Being able to play different styles. Sometimes start, sometimes come off the bench. Sometimes 30 minutes, sometimes 15. You've got to be able to be yourself through all of those situations. At some point, we all kind of go through that. I think he is built for it, and he is going to have something to show for it."
RELATED: Warriors hope home collapses are learning experiences as playoffs near
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors now have lost five of their last seven games and enter a brutal seven-game stretch against teams in the playoff or play-in picture.
In February, Poole averaged 14.1 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from 3-point range.
With only 21 games remaining in the regular season, the Warriors have limited time to rediscover their identity and enter the postseason in a position to succeed in the pressure cooker of playoff basketball.
The Warriors have to get healthy, yes. But Kerr also needs to make sure everyone on his relatively inexperienced roster (in terms of playoff games) knows and can succeed in their given role.
Poole is Exhibit A of the challenges Kerr is facing with little time left to fix. The Warriors need Poole to be at his best when the lights are brightest. It's something he is capable of, but the journey there might take longer than the Warriors have.