Steve Kerr and Draymond Green Back Jordan Poole for Most Improved Payer of the Year

Jordan Poole has turned heads this season but Saturday night made it clear to his team that he's the Most Improved Player of the Year in 2022.

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

They may not have votes, but Steve Kerr and Draymond Green are backing Jordan Poole as the Most Improved Player of the Year.

After scoring 10 points in the fourth on his way to 18 in a 100-94 win over San Antonio, Poole helped Golden State fend off the charging Spurs despite a down game offensively. The performance drew praise from Kerr and Green, who think he’s a front-runner for the prestigious award.

“It does to me,” Kerr said when asked if Saturday’s game showcased Poole’s growth. “I don’t know as far as the voting on the award… Where he was two-and-a-half years ago compared to now, it’s just dramatic and he’s earned every bit of it.”

“It does to me.”

Asked Steve Kerr if Jordan Poole grinding out an 18 and 8 game shows how much he’s grown and if it furthers his case for Most Improved Player pic.twitter.com/QnzAMfzL3R

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) April 10, 2022

Saturday was undoubtedly an out-of-the-ordinary night for Poole, who had scored 20 points or more in 17 of his last 18 outings. In fact, Poole failed to score even a single point by halftime, shooting 0-for-7 for the floor.

According to Kerr, Poole “wasn’t feeling well,” which contributed to the slow start scoring. Despite this Poole was efficient with his passing game. After dishing out a career-high 11 assists against the Lakers Thursday night, his first half against San Antonio saw the third-year Warriors record seven assists.

“Having a poor shooting night, he stuck with it. Didn’t have it, didn’t have any energy and he helped us close the game down the stretch,” Green said. “No matter what, you’re finding a way.”

Draymond doubles down and details why he'd pick Poole to win the Most Improved Player Award pic.twitter.com/HgJQpXWpDl

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 10, 2022

As the Spurs came back from a 17-point deficit to close the game to as low as two points in the fourth, Poole took it upon himself to turn up the dial and generate some kind of offense for the Warriors.

His choice was to get to the line. In fact, of the 10 points he scored in the fourth, eight of them came from the free-throw line. As a result, the Warriors were able to hold off the Spurs, drawing incredicredibly high remarks from his team.

Green was the most outspoken, however, as he addressed who should be considered for the award. Some people around the NBA have suggested that Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies should earn the honors of MIP but Green starkly disagreed.

“The award is called ‘The Most Improved,’ not ‘Who Had the Best Year?’” Green said. “No disrespect to Ja Morant but Ja Morant is an MVP candidate… Ja Morant was fucking incredible last year. When you look around, the most improvement has been Jordan Poole.”

With one game left in the regular season, there isn’t much additional room for Poole to make his case for the MIP but according to his coach, it seems as though he’s done more than enough.

“As his coach, as someone who sees him every single day, I’m thrilled with the growth and the maturity,” Kerr said. “He’s just worked so hard and he’s played different roles. He’s been our point guard, our 2-guard. He’s started, he’s come off the bench and regardless, he’s learned and listened and improved.”