Jordan Poole has caught the attention of the entire league this month.
SAN FRANCISCO - Jordan Poole was not surprised when Chris Paul tried to chirp him during Wednesday's game against the Phoenix Suns.
By the time CP3 got into his ear, Poole had already found his groove and was clogged inside.
"If he was trying to let me go, it was too late," Poole said after a 107-103 loss at the chase center. "I think I was already going a little bit."
Yes, just a little.
Pool breathed life into the Warriors' offense when the Suns rose to an early 12-2 lead, scoring 15 points in the first quarter as he helped the team recover from an 11-point deficit.
All said and done, he recorded a season-high 38 points, which tied his career-high set last May. He also caught career-high-typing nine rebounds and provided seven assists.
Playing with Poole on Wednesday gave Drummond Green nostalgia. In the first quarter, Green went to a cutting pool and set up a screen as the third-year guard launched three.
"It felt very normal, like clockwork," Green said. "The reality is I think he's just learning. He's learning how to make the game easier for himself. One thing we know and the world knows now is that he can score basketball, that someone can also take the shot he wants...
"Get off the ball, keep going and the ball will get to you again, and he's getting better at that and now you see how he's progressing without the ball and then at some point you're going to be without the ball with Steph Curry." Let's add back the movement and it's dangerous. So I thought it was a step in the right direction."
Poole has caught the attention of the entire league this month, marking the best performance of his career. The clever scorer averaged 24.6 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 15 games and 10 starts in March. He is shooting 49.4% overall, 44.1% from three-point range and 89.8% from Charity Stripe.
In Wednesday's game, Poole, who has been leading the league this month (67) by scoring 3-pointers, converted seven of his three out of 15 attempts.
Wednesday was the 15th game in a row in which he scored 20 or more points, making him only the 10th warrior to have a 20-point streak of that length.
As a response to Poole's breakout month, opponents have started throwing two defenders at him to slow his offensive output. But he still found ways to influence the game.
“He is right there with all the top scorers in the league, in case it is hard to stop him because he does it in so many ways; on the rim, from midrange, form three, body movement,” Suns coach Monty Williams said before the game "The hard part about Jordan is he's learning how to play like Steph. He understands that when Drummond has it at the top and he's close, it's a quick [dribble handoff] or a quick pass and screen... The corporate knowledge he has on this program has made him an even better player. allowed to be. ,
Green said it was a "beautiful sign" to argue with Paul Poole.
"It means they know about you, you alerted them," Green said. "Because if you didn't he wouldn't waste his time talking to you. So that's a beautiful sign, and it's great to see him not hold back."
Poole, a former G League role player, has yet to play in the NBA postseason, but believes his face-off with Paul on Wednesday resembled a playoff atmosphere.
"You can't hold back from anything," Poole said. "It's a really good team over there and they have really good players. But we're here and we're up for the challenge every time. If anyone has something to say, I'll probably say something back."
Or he'll let his game do what he's done for the whole month.
He said, 'I'm feeling fine right now. "Every shot I'm shooting, I've shot in practice over and over again. I'm running the same plays; we've been running the same plays since the beginning of the season. You kind of catch a rhythm, it's a long The season is. I think just where I am personally, where I am able to capitalize on right now, feels good, but we have to win games to be honest."