Golden State Warriors: 5 goals for the 2021-22 regular season

Goals for the Golden State Warriors: 1. Developing Jordan Poole into a strong secondary scorer

The Warriors without their second splash brother fell subject to a modern NBA phenomenon: Surround “Star X” with shooters and screeners. Houston had recent success with this philosophy at the end of the James Harden era, and Atlanta used that same strategy throughout their playoff run to capitalize on Trae Young’s offensive genius.

The 2020-21 Warriors entered this category, to receive all they could get out of their MVP talent on an uncharacteristically weak offense. Stephen Curry carried the Warriors all season long, and while it was exceptional and made for great entertainment, it proved to be unsustainable. The lopsided Warriors were outmaneuvered by the talented Lakers in the 7-seed game and outmatched by the offensively-gifted Grizzlies in the 8-seed game, effectively ending their season.

Losing legendary scorer Kevin Durant to free agency a few years ago, and Curry’s tag-team partner in the backcourt due to injury around the same time created a glaring hole to fill in the offense. Management tried salvaging it with All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell, but that ultimately created a surplus in the backcourt and in the same process, drastically hurt their defense.

With their second All-Star guard still on the shelf due to injury, and another star still coming into his own offensively, the Warriors desperately need a secondary scorer to pair alongside Curry, who could create his own shot and also lead the offense with #30 off the floor.

Enter Jordan Poole, the Warriors’ first-round draft pick from the 2019 NBA Draft. Poole, a 6’4″ shooting guard, made a name for himself at Michigan as an offensive weapon who could create off-the-dribble and knock down 3-pointers off-the-catch. His career highlight is a buzzer-beating 3-point field goal to advance the Wolverines to the Sweet Sixteen as a true freshman, which was pivotal in helping them reach the Championship Game.

Feeling desperate for scoring, the Warriors snagged him as a ready-made sixth man, and he actually started in his rookie year after Curry fell injured himself. As a sophomore, he kept his spot in the rotation but dramatically improved his shooting percentages (33.3% FG and 27.9% 3PT in 2019-20 to 43.2% FG and 35.1% 3PT in 2020-21). By the end of the season, he was the go-to bench scorer, giving teams trouble during their playoff push.

For this year’s Warriors to rise up the ranks, they’ll need Poole to take an even bigger step forward. He won’t be asked to elevate his efficiency all that much, since the pass-happy team is full of catch-and-shoot marksmen. Rather, he’ll be tasked with improving his off-the-dribble shooting and slashing, things that will go a long way helping Curry facilitate and, of all things, rest.

There’s no telling how effective their original shooting guard will be after two devastating leg injuries, so the offensive share is Poole’s for the taking as long as he’s capable of handling the responsibility. Picking up from his late-season momentum, the Michigan product looked spectacular in the preseason, averaging 21.8 points per game with several 3-point outbursts. His handles are looking craftier, his agility is looking more lethal, and his confidence is appearing to grow with each performance.

Developing Poole into a strong secondary scorer is the top goal for the Warriors this season. He might not be relied on so heavily in the second half of the year, but come the playoff push and hopefully the postseason, Poole needs to be ready to create when he’s called upon.