Wizards' Jordan Poole Making Strides

Jordan Poole is coming off of one of the best games of his career for the Washington Wizards.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 15, 2024

Nov 13, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham (22) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards point guard Jordan Poole is coming off a game where he was one point shy from hitting his career-high.

Poole had 42 points for the Wizards in their 139-130 loss to the San Antonio Spurs two nights ago at the Frost Bank Center.

Poole explained how he got to that total during an interview with reporters postgame.

“I think it's just so much of a learning process right now that like trying to get everybody to play the same way, but when I'm bringing up and I'm in attack mode, I get to be aggressive to score,” Poole said. “But as soon as the coverage changes, but they double me, or they start blitzing, I'm able to find other guys and put them in position to get really good shots. So when they start making shots, I'm also getting them looks. It opens a lot of stuff up for our entire team.”

In addition to his 42 points on 15 of 22 shooting from the field, Poole dished out six assists, which is a sign that he is getting his teammates involved. When Poole is an efficient scorer from range and inside, he can be one of the most dangerous players in the league. And that's exactly what the Wizards hope he can be on a more consistent basis.

Poole may not hit 42 points every night, but if he can find ways to slow things down for himself and get his teammates involved, the Wizards will be far better off and they will be more likely to start grabbing victories in these close games.

Poole and the Wizards are back in action tonight as they take on the division rival Atlanta Hawks in the first game of the Emirates NBA Cup. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Nov 15, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.