The Washington Wizards interim head coach Brian Keefe demoted guard Jordan Poole, the team’s highest-paid player, to the bench unit after the All-Star break. And it is safe to say that Poole isn’t too happy about losing his place in the starting lineup.
Poole spoke with reporters after a 130-110 loss to the Denver Nuggets, his first game as a bench player this season, and expressed frustration about his new role.
“If there’s any common sense with the situation, you should know how I feel,” Poole, who scored 18 points off the bench, told Washington Post’s Ava Wallace. “But I’m just going to come out, do what I can do to help the team, keep it moving.”
Benching Poole allowed the Wizards to get an extended look at rookie Bilal Coulibaly, their seventh overall pick Speaking about his decision to bench Poole, Keefe said that the move could benefit Poole in the long run.
“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 ahead of the Nuggets’ game. “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.”
Jordan Poole joined the Wizards in the offseason as part of the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors. Poole, who is in the first year of four four-year, $128 million extension he signed while he was with the Warriors, was expected to be one of the key players for Washington as they go through a rebuild. However, that hasn’t been the case so far.
Poole received criticism for making poor decisions on the court and taking too many shots. He is currently averaging 15.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game but only shooting 39.6% from the field and 30.3% on three-pointers.
