Lakers News: Jordan Poole Feeling Rotation Crunch

Poole's minutes are decreasing game-by-game

The Golden State Warriors are facing a critical moment in their Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, and one of their key players, guard Jordan Poole, is struggling to maintain his playing time. Poole has seen his minutes decrease game by game, and in Game Four, head coach Steve Kerr only played him for 10 minutes.

Poole has seen a decrease in his minutes from game to game, but in a must-win Game Five, he did enough to stay on the floor for 23 minutes and contribute 11 points. 

This is a tough situation for Poole, who has been an important contributor for the Warriors this season. He has shown flashes of brilliance, averaging a career-high in points per game in the regular season with 20.4, but has seen a demise in those numbers this postseason. He's struggled with consistency, and his performance in the playoffs has been uneven.

And tonight, it doesn't get any easier. Coach Kerr has a difficult decision to make in tonight's do-or-die game at the Crypto.com Arena. Does he continue to limit Poole's minutes, or does he give him a chance to redeem himself? On the one hand, the Warriors need all of their players to step up if they hope to stay alive in the playoffs. On the other hand, Kerr cannot afford to take chances if Poole's performance is not up to par.

It's possible that the 2022 NBA champion is simply experiencing a slump and needs time to regain his confidence. In that case, Kerr may choose to give him more playing time and see if he can shake off his funk. On the other hand, if Poole continues to struggle, Kerr may have to look elsewhere for production. It might be tough to go with his instinct tonight, as it could be their final game of the season. 

The 23-year-old guard has not shown any promise on the road, so I'll bet he hardly sees the floor tonight, especially if he struggles in Game Six.