Ask people about the worst contract in the NBA and Jordan Poole’s name is at or near the top of the list — he is owed three years and $95.5 million guaranteed after this season. The one where he is averaging 15.7 points per game on 39.6% shooting.
Thursday night, coming out of the All-Star break, new Wizards coach Brian Keefe moved Poole to the bench to start and get more minutes for promising rookie Bilal Coulibaly. In his sixth man role Poole scored 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting. Not surprisingly, Poole was unhappy about the move, here’s his postgame quote via Ava Wallace of the Washington Post.
Spoke to a displeased Jordan Poole postgame about the Wizards' moving him to the bench: "If there’s any common sense, with the situation, you should know how I feel. But I’m just going to come out, do what I can do to help the team, keep it moving."
— Ava Wallace (@avarwallace) February 23, 2024
If Poole wants off the bench, it’s on him to play better. This isn’t rocket science. He wasn’t the most efficient scorer with the Warriors but it’s been much worse this season, plus Poole is also a poor defender, and his mental mistakes have become legend on NBA Twitter. Keefe made the right move, Coulibaly has shown promise and deserves more run and the chance to develop.
The Wizards may test the trade market for Poole this offseason, but after his play this season, they would need to attach a pick or other sweetener to the deal to get another team interested.
