Warriors coach Steve Kerr isn't blaming Jordan Poole after the Golden State's 122-119 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday at Chase Center that ended the team's five-game winning streak.
Poole had the ball in his hands with 13.2 seconds left in the game as the Warriors were down 117-116 and looking to take the lead. However, the 23-year-old attempted a crossover on Alec Burks, only to have the veteran poke the ball away for the turnover.
Despite the turnover, Kerr defended Poole, believing the turnover is an incident from which the Michigan product can learn for future situations.
"[Poole is] also hitting huge shots for us," Kerr told reporters after the loss. "He had two big jumpers down the stretch, and Jordan's made so many big plays for us and helped us win so many games. But what's great is that everything is a learning experience for him, you know, at this stage of his career.
"And he's getting a lot of, you know, late-game experience, and, you know, he made the one mistake, but like I said, he made two big shots right before that, and you know, I thought really played well and played hard all game."
Klay Thompson also noted that it wasn't a mistake that Poole had the ball in his hands in that late-game situation against the Pistons.
"I told him in the locker room there's a reason I threw him the ball towards the end of the regulation is because he's like that; he's a clutch player," Thompson told reporters postgame. "He's a shot creator, and we would not have been on this win streak without him.
"So I know that we all go through those lapses early in our career ... We're going to continue to trust him with the ball in his hands because he's like an engine that makes us go."
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Golden State is counting on Poole to take the next step in his development. As a result, he'll have to learn to put the mistake behind him when the Warriors face the Orlando Magic on Saturday at Chase Center.
