Inside The Wizards

Wizards Playing Different Without Jordan Poole

Jordan Poole's absence changes things for the Washington Wizards.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Jan 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards have been without leading scorer Jordan Poole for three out of the last five games after he suffered a hip contusion in late December against the Charlotte Hornets.

With Poole out, players have to step up, and the offense has to change how it plays a little bit.

Wizards guard Jared Butler explains what kind of changes need to be made.

“It’s definitely a different kind of style,” Butler said postgame. “I think JP adds a lot of flare like some randomness to our offense and I think maybe more so single hits at times. JP is like a home run hitter at times but just more singles.”

Even though the Wizards have played without Poole, head coach Brian Keefe says it is not an excuse for the team's losing. Keefe pointed out that the Wizards have played well without Poole in the past, so the team won't be using that as an excuse behind the poor performances.

Players have to step up in Poole's absence, like Butler did with 17 points off the bench and Kyle Kuzma did with 28 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.

'Home runs' can't be replaced by one player, especially if they are only hitting singles. It usually takes a few singles to score, so the Wizards all have to be on their A-game in order to execute, because it doesn't take much to strike out as well.

The season is long and it is all about adaptation. Teams that are able to roll with the punches when their best players are down are the ones that usually rise towards the top of the standings.

The Wizards will get back out on the court tomorrow night when they take on the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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