LOS ANGELES — Jordan Poole sat in a folding chair dealing with the within of his locker along with his again turned to the middle of the cramped guests’ locker room.
He didn’t wish to discuss a lot after the Warriors’ 104-101 loss to the Lakers on Monday night time.
“I don’t received nothing for y’all,” he stated as music blared from his iPhone.
Poole, a key piece to final yr’s inconceivable championship run, has had a tough go this time round within the playoffs and he’s offered few solutions as to why, primarily as a result of he stated he’s additionally stumped.
Poole didn't register a degree in 10 minutes of play Monday night time for his third straight unhealthy outing.
Poole earned himself a nine-figure extension final offseason by stepping up massive when Stephen Curry was injured and being a reliable sixth man on a championship group. However he hasn’t been capable of replicate that on a constant foundation this yr.
What has modified?
“I actually can’t inform you,” Poole stated. “I want I had solutions for you. I want I had one.”
Poole posted 20.4 factors per recreation on 43% taking pictures within the common season, throughout which he was considered one of solely two Warriors gamers to seem in all 82 video games, however his offensive effectivity has plummeted within the playoffs. Poole appeared to be not off course after a tough first spherical in opposition to the Kings when he opened this sequence with the Lakers by placing up 21 factors and draining six 3s.
However Poole has gone chilly since, going 5-for-19 from the sector and 0-for-8 from deep during the last three video games.
Poole put up a dud in Monday night time’s loss that sank the defending champs right into a 3-1 sequence deficit. He completed 0-for-4 from the sector and watched a lot of the third quarter and all the fourth from the bench.
“He didn’t have it going,” coach Steve Kerr stated when requested about Poole’s second-half minutes. “It’s a recreation the place you’re going possession by possession, and we had different guys who have been enjoying effectively… We simply went to different guys. That doesn’t imply Jordan can’t are available in and play an enormous function in Recreation 6 or Recreation 5.”
However he has to earn that chance, and Poole acknowledged as a lot after the sport. Poole’s scoreless outing in Recreation 4 adopted six- and five-point efforts in Video games 2 and three, respectively.
Poole stated “nothing adjustments” along with his routine throughout a tough stretch just like the one he’s encountered.
“Simply work. It’s larger than the second proper now in the long term,” he stated. “[You] wish to be the very best participant you could be. Work ethic doesn’t change, routine doesn’t change. Perhaps alternative adjustments, however you possibly can solely management what you possibly can management. So you bought one other recreation in a few days at house.”
Poole’s function has fluctuated throughout each playoff sequence, along with his minutes going up and down relying on his play and what the group wants.
The younger guard’s teammates say they're nonetheless assured in him.
“We get questions on him quite a bit and our complete group, we’re all collectively within the sense of attempting to determine how one can win playoff video games,” Curry stated. “All of us should make changes, all of us should play higher contemplating we’re in a 3-1 gap. So there’s no sense of isolating him on this scenario. It’s all about collectively what can all of us do to be higher.
“The conversations we now have in movie classes, on the bench, within the locker room, are constant all through the season particularly within the playoff run of attempting to reply that query. So he’s part of that, we’re all part of that, and if we’re gonna get out of this complete, all of us should play higher.”
