Golden State Warriors: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Phil Watson
Drafting Jordan Poole at No. 28 overall
The Golden State Warriors stunned NBA Draft experts by tabbing former Michigan guard Jordan Poole with the 28th overall pick.
Poole wasn’t listed in many mock drafts and didn’t crack ESPN’s final list of the top 100 prospects.
But Warriors general manager Bob Myers pulled the trigger on Poole, who showed signs in Summer League outings in Sacramento and Las Vegas that Myers might once again get the last laugh.
Poole averaged 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.1 minutes per game as a sophomore at Michigan last season, shooting 43.6 percent overall and 36.9 percent on 5.5 3-point tries per game.
He was a volume shooter in the Summer League, with his percentages not where the Warriors would like to see them, but he showed some fearlessness in recovering from two ghastly performances in Sacramento (where he was 4-for-20 overall) to light things up in Vegas.
Overall, Poole averaged 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 26.8 minutes per game over six SL games, shooting 35.0 percent overall and 22.0 percent on 6.8 3-point tries an outing.
At 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, Poole has adequate size to play the 2 at the NBA level, with a 6-foot-6¾ wingspan that doesn’t exactly spell lengthy defender, but is decent for a guy who will be a shooter at the next level.
Poole becomes the second Milwaukee native on the Warriors’ roster, joining big man Kevon Looney, and the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry should be … interesting … as Poole shares a locker room with prickly Draymond Green.
The late 20s are often a crap shoot. Give credit to Myers for being willing to roll the dice with a risky pick.
Grade: B