Golden State Warriors Missing Washington Wizards Guard Jordan Poole?

Guard Jordan Poole received no long goodbye when he was traded to the Washington Wizards, but is it possible his departure is hurting the Golden State Warriors?

The Washington Wizards (2-14) are the worst team in the NBA's Eastern Conference, but they were supposed to be.

Even with the addition of guard Jordan Poole from the Golden State Warriors (8-9), nobody expected the Wizards to truly contend with the NBA's elite.

But the Warriors, for them, it was supposed to be addition by subtraction sending Poole to Washington, and forward Draymond Green even went as far as to insinuate that was the case earlier this season.

Why then is Golden State playing sub-.500 basketball, in 10th place in the Western Conference, and winners in just three of its last 10 games?

Maybe, says NBA.com's John Schuhmann, it's because the Warriors miss them some Jordan Poole.

"Overall, the addition of [guard] Chris Paul has been a positive for the Warriors, who've been better, both offensively and defensively, with him on the floor," Schuhmann wrote. "But when it comes to transition, there's a big difference between Jordan Poole and the future Hall-of-Famer who replaced him."

Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Kaseya Center / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

So it's not exactly like Schuhmann - or anyone else - is suggesting that the issues plaguing Golden State are Poole-related alone, but it doesn't take a basketball genius to know the guard it traded is better on the run than the one it acquired.

According to the article, the Warriors are being outscored by 8.5 points per game in transition offense which is the worst margin in the league.

Last year it was Poole who led Golden State in total transition points with 4.6 per game.

Wizards vs. Pistons Game Predictions

Not all transition points come on fast breaks, but last year Poole averaged 3.3 points per game on those quick opportunities while contributing just 1.8 this season.

Still, nobody on the Warriors roster is doing that at a rate higher than Poole's in 2022 while Washington forward Kyle Kuzma leads his squad with 3.6 per outing.

Is Golden State going to be sending Green to apologize and beg him to take them back anytime soon? No.

But the Warriors are certainly experiencing a drop in some production areas because of Poole's departure, which the Wizards hope to turn into wins sooner rather than later.

---

You can follow David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

Follow Inside The Wizards on Facebook

Follow Inside The Wizards on Twitter

Keep up with all Washington Wizards news on the SI.com Washington Wizards team page