Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole has struggled in 14 games with his new team, but it’s his off-the-court behavior that led one NBA legend to claim he doesn’t belong in the league.
On Showtime’s sports series KG Certified hosted by Kevin Garnett and featuring guest Paul Pierce, Garnett questioned whether Poole learned anything valuable during his four seasons with the Golden State Warriors. Garnett, who was passionate and vivacious in the episode, referenced the way Poole spoke to teammates and a lack of leadership as to why he shouldn’t be in the NBA.
Poole is averaging 2.9 turnovers per game this season, while the Wizards are currently 2-12 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
On Oct. 15, 2022, Poole was rewarded with a four-year, $140 million dollar contract extension after helping lead the Warriors to their fourth title in eight seasons. In the offseason, Poole was in the tabloids after video surfaced of a physical confrontation between him and teammate Draymond Green.
Despite averaging a career-high 20.4 points, the Warriors never seemed to generate any sort of momentum and they were bounced in the playoffs in six games by the Los Angeles Lakers. Poole struggled, as he averaged 10.3 points on 34.1% from the field.
Poole was part of a three-team trade that sent Chris Paul to the Warriors, with Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr., a 2027 second-round pick, a 2030 first-round pick, and cash considerations going to the Wizards.
Related: Why the Golden State Warriors already won the Chris Paul-Jordan Poole trade