Why The Wizards Need To Rest Jordan Poole

Tyrone Montgomery | Apr 11, 2024

Apr 7, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) reacts after being / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Don't look now, but the Wizards only have two games left until their season ends. This NBA regular season has come and gone literally within a blink of an eye. No doubt, this has not been the season the Washington Wizards hoped and dreamed of after all of the off-season moves that were made over the summer last year. However, the time has come to face reality.

Jordan Poole’s first three months of the season:
16.5 PPG, 3.4 APG, 2.3 RPG, 31% 3pt

Jordan Poole’s most recent month:
20.8 PPG, 6.6 APG, 3.3 RPG, 36% 3pt

Promising improvement after the switch to PG pic.twitter.com/xPKhF3Plju

— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) April 10, 2024

When you look at the way this season went for the Wizards, you have to find the good within every situation. You have to find the rainbow after the storm and you have to make the most out of your situation. Since the Wizards have nothing to play for in the standings, one has to wonder what the plan is. The Wizards have been eliminated from playoff contention for quite some time now. As a matter of fact, they were the first team to be eliminated from the NBA playoffs.

With that being the case, we immediately saw Kyle Kuzma and Bilal Coulibaly shut down for the rest of the season. Soon after that, Tyus Jones began to miss a lot of games too as his season was cut short as well. I believe it's safe to say that they are in the future plans of the Washington Wizards. In fact, you can even say that they are a part of the core in Washington.

Why The Wizards Need To Rest Jordan Poole

Jordan Poole has been playing some good basketball as of late. He remains in the regular rotation and in the starting lineup at this time. However, with just two games left to play in the regular season, the Wizards may want to err on the side of caution when it comes to that. Rather the Wizards decide to trade Poole this summer or keep him, he has already gotten his trade value up and his performance has improved as well. It would be devastating to see him playing so well at this moment just to get hurt so late in the season.

The Wizards should strongly consider sitting Poole the rest of the way. While they don't have anything to play for within the regular season, they certainly have something to play for during the off-season. Having the best odds at the number one overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft should definitely be on their minds. At this time, the Detroit Pistons currently hold the best odds. The Wizards could help their odds by resting the star that they do have in Jordan Poole. This summer is very important for the Wizards and their outlook on it should start today.