Wizards See Trend in Key Guard

The Washington Wizards are expecting a bounce back season from a key guard this year.

Mar 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) reacts as a foul is called during overtime against the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are entering the 2024-25 season as a team that many don't expect to compete in the Eastern Conference. Most predictions have them ending up as one of the worst teams in the NBA.

While they have a lot of work to do to prove those predictions wrong, they do have the talent to win some games.

One of the biggest key players on the roster will be 25-year-old guard Jordan Poole. After a relatively disappointing first season with the Wizards, he's looking to have a big-time bounce back season.

That is exactly what Washington is expecting from him.

Will Dawkins, the general manager of the Wizards, spoke out and made it clear that Washington is expecting a much better year from the talented guard.

Will Dawkins is speaking to media now for his preseason press conference.

One thing he noted: he expects Jordan Poole to have a better second year here, much like he did both at Michigan and Golden State.

— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) September 26, 2024

During the 2023-24 NBA season with the Wizards, Poole ended up playing in 78 games and starting in 66 of those appearances. He averaged 17.4 points per game to go along with 4.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. In addition to those numbers, he shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 32.6 percent from the three-point line.

Poole still has plenty of time to get back on track. He had a bit of a down year with his shooting, but he's still a more than capable scorer.

If Washington wants to win, they will need him to be a go-to type of offensive player.

He is more than capable of becoming a 20-plus points per game scorer. Should he reach that level of offensive play and Kyle Kuzma can keep being a dangerous offensive threat, the Wizards could keep pace with many teams around the league. However, they will need to be much better defensively.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the upcoming season has in store for Washington. Hopefully, they'll see Poole bounce back and put up an improved second year with the team.

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