Before last night’s 130-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets, news broke that the Washington Wizards were going to move Jordan Poole to the bench. This was Poole’s first game coming off the bench since getting traded to the Wizards in the offseason. In his place, Washington started rookie forward Bilal Coulibaly.
BREAKING: The Wizards have benched Jordan Poole. pic.twitter.com/dXMigmIGUc
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 23, 2024
According to Wizards coach Brian Keefe, moving Poole to the bench was a collaborative decision with the front office in order to “maximize lineups“:
In a lineup change intended to resurrect Poole’s faded mojo and allot more quality minutes to prized rookie Bilal Coulibaly, interim coach Brian Keefe moved Poole out of the Wizards’ starting lineup and into a sixth-man role. Keefe made the change in collaboration with the Wizards’ front office. “We just wanted to look at how do we best utilize the whole group, and how do we best maximize lineups and how do we get even more out of him?” Keefe told reporters in Denver before the Wizards lost to the Nuggets 130-110.
Poole expressed his opinion about his benching. Although he does not seem thrilled about it, it appears he is looking at this as an opportunity:
“If there’s any common sense, with the situation, you should know how I feel. But I’m just going to come out, do what I can do to help the team, keep it moving,” he said. “I’ve been a point guard the last three years of my career. I haven’t really played in my position all year, just kind of trying to figure that out. I mean, if this is a way to try to get me on ball, I guess that’s just what we have to do.
“But I feel like I’ve mentioned it, I’ve been a (point guard), I’ve been primary on-ball, I’ve been a facilitator, play-maker, as well as scoring. I feel like that’s kind of where I proved my game and how I play, played to my strengths, and it hasn’t been like that this year unfortunately. I’m just trying to get better in the other areas of the game.”
In the loss, Poole played 30 minutes and scored 18 points while shooting 4-of-17 from the field. Additionally, Poole recorded one rebound, one assist, and two steals.
Why The Washington Wizards Moved Jordan Poole to the Bench
In his first season with the 9-46 Wizards, things have not looked good for the former NBA champion. Poole’s points per game (15.7) are down from his last two seasons with the Golden State Warriors. This is despite Poole having a larger role in Washington. Additionally, Poole’s shooting stats, including his FT%, are the worst of his career since his rookie season.
Furthermore, the Wizards will likely have Poole rostered for the next few years. In 2022, Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with Golden State. This contract will run through the 2026-27 season. Per the latest reports, many teams consider Poole’s contract to be one of the worst in the NBA. With the Wizards committed to Poole, whose trade value is at an all-time low, it makes sense for the team to experiment a bit and see how they can maximize the guard’s game. As Keefe puts it, moving Poole to the bench gives him a new opportunity to be the lead guy with the second unit:
“It’s really a positive. It’s actually a credit to Jordan, Jordan’s been one of our highest net ratings since I’ve taken over, and I just want to see more of that,” Keefe told reporters before the contest. “This gives him an opportunity now, being in that unit, to be the lead handler, lead decision-maker, and kind of be our offensive engine.”
It remains to be seen if Poole’s new role is long-term.
