Golden State Warriors: 3 key players off to a hot start in 2021-22

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 25: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with Jordan Poole #3 after he made a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center on January 25, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors. Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images /

Golden State Warriors players off to a hot start: 2. Jordan Poole

In the absence of Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole has been given a permanent spot in the starting lineup. The Michigan alum is running with it, scoring the best he ever has during his brief career.

Poole averaged 8.8 points per game as a rookie. Last year, he bumped that up to 12 points per game, despite a small decrease in playing time. This year, Poole is all the way up to 17.5 points per game.

Oddly enough, he’s scoring plenty with some putrid three-point shooting numbers. Poole is hitting 29.9 percent of his threes, launching almost eight per game. It’s the second-worst percentage of his young career.

Jordan Poole is still managing to shoot 44.1 percent from the field, though. He’s also averaging 2.1 free throw attempts per game, which isn’t a lot, but he’s knocking them down at an excellent 94.1 percent rate.

He is also making a significant impact on the defensive end, averaging 1.3 steals per game. His 0.8 defensive win shares rank 20th in the NBA, as does his 102.6 defensive rating.

What will be Poole’s role on the team when Thompson returns? They play the same position, so even if Steve Kerr can find a way to spread out the team in a different way, Poole is almost certainly to lose at least a little bit of playing time.

Regardless, the guard is one of the top three scorers on the best team in the NBA. The way he’s started this season, there’s no way Jordan Poole can come out of the lineup unless he starts to cool down.

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