Jordan Poole, despite his struggles in the Warriors' first-round NBA playoff matchup against the Sacramento Kings, still has full-fledged support from his teammates.
The fourth-year guard arguably had his worst game of the series in Golden State's 118-99 Game 6 loss to Sacramento on Friday at Chase Center. Poole scored just seven points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field and 1 of 2 from 3-point range and was a minus-14 in plus/minus throughout his 26 minutes on the court.
In six games, Poole is averaging playoff series career lows in points (12.7), field-goal shooting (33.8 percent) and 3-point shooting (24.1 percent).
His struggles have been obvious, and his frustration on the court in Game 6 was clear to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
"Yeah, Jordan never really got going tonight, unfortunately," Kerr told reporters postgame. "He got a little frustrated early. He had a couple plays where he didn't get calls and he was trying to attack and couldn't quite shake free, so just a frustrating night for him. But you know, it was a poor night for all of us, including me."
Coincidentally, the way Poole has played thus far is how some might have expected the team on the other side of the court to play in their first taste of playoff basketball. However, Poole, who was an integral part of the Warriors' championship run last summer, is no stranger to the bright lights of the postseason.
He has shown flashes of dominance in the playoffs, which is exactly why veteran teammates like Steph Curry still have confidence in the 23-year-old.
"We need him and he's more than capable, and has shown the ability to impact games, and the biggest thing for all of us, you know, JP included, is that next-play mentality that is so important at this level, not just in the 82-game schedule but also in a playoff series where you don't have to be kind of a victim of the last game," Curry said. "You always can kind of bounce back.
"I have nothing but confidence in his ability to do that and understand to bring the right energy for this next game."
Sometimes the best way to break out of a shooting slump, as Klay Thompson knows, is to just keep shooting. Poole can catch fire at any moment and has been known to deliver similar flurries as his esteemed Splash Brother teammates.
"We've all been there. I've had terrible slumps during playoffs, the Olympics, at the highest level," Thompson added. "Jordan is only 23 years old.
"So he's got to keep his confidence up. I mean, he's a great player, and he helped us win a championship last year, and if we want to do that again, he will do the same this year. So that's up to -- just up to us to come in with the right mindset on Sunday and empty the clip."
Golden State Warriors
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For Poole, the message from the team is clear: Just be yourself. The shots will fall. There isn't a single Warriors teammate, or coach, who doubts his ability to carry the offense at any given moment.
"We just want him to be himself, go out there and be aggressive, play his style of basketball," Kevon Looney said. "We're going to support him, keep playing hard. He struggled a little tonight, but we know what he's capable of, and we know he's mentally tough and he can bounce back, and that's what we expect from him."