Wizards’ Jordan Poole: ‘You Should Know How I Feel’ About Move to Bench vs. Nuggets

Andrew PetersFebruary 23, 2024

Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

For the first time this season, shooting guard Jordan Poole came off the bench for the Washington Wizards as the team took on the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.

Understandably, the fifth-year player wasn’t happy about the move but said he’s looking to still contribute despite not being in the starting lineup, per the Washington Post’s Ava Wallace.

“If there’s any common sense, with the situation, you should know how I feel,” Poole said. “But I’m just going to come out, do what I can do to help the team, keep it moving.”

Despite the move, Poole’s minutes didn’t see much of a hit. He still played 30 minutes and had 18 points on a shaky 4-of-17 shooting from the field.

Interim head coach Brian Keefe’s decision to move Poole to the bench comes amid a rough month for the first-year Wizard. Poole is averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in February, shooting 29.9 percent from the field and 25.5 percent from deep.

Since his trade to Washington this past offseason, Poole has shown flashes of the player he was for the Golden State Warriors but has been much more inconsistent. He’s averaging 15.6 points per game, which is his lowest mark since his second year in the league.

Keefe, who took over for Wes Unseld Jr. in January after the head coach moved to a front office role, is likely testing different lineups to see what works best for his team moving forward. The Wizards are out of playoff contention, sitting in 14th place in the Eastern Conference at 9-46, so the rest of the season is about continuing the rebuild.

When Washington traded for Poole this offseason, it was likely looking for a young leader alongside Kyle Kuzma. Poole can still be that for the Wizards, but for now he’ll need to embrace a role coming off the bench.