Warriors: Jordan Poole’s extension was a no-brainer for Golden State — here’s why

1. Jordan Poole is the natural successor to Stephen Curry for the Warriors

It is fair to say that since the turn of the century, few players have been as unique of a talent in the league as Stephen Curry. His 3-point shooting ability, movement off the ball and underrated defensive work quite literally changed how the game is played, and to this day he scares entire defensive schemes in ways behemoths like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo cannot.

In a league of copycats, nobody has ever been able to copy Curry to a passable level consistently — except for Poole. It would be lazy to say that he has made a living off of mimicking his MVP-level teammate because there have been times when Poole has shared the court with Curry and been more of a driver to the basket player who is comfortable in iso situations.

Yet when Curry was making his way back from injury during last year’s championship run, it was Poole who stepped up in his place. He started a playoff win over the Denver Nuggets as Curry came off the bench, and really this was the crowning moment of a situation that started seven months earlier. Curry was injured then as well, and as discussed on this website, it was the opportunity Poole needed to show that he was a long-term solution for the team.

Curry will be 35 years old by the time the next postseason rolls around. He is still playing at an elite level, but we are much closer to the end than the beginning. Having a guard in Poole who has competently replaced Curry for stretches before is absolutely massive for the Warriors. They appear to have a good relationship as well, making this transition seamless.

Whereas many star players leave or tail off in production and it creates a vacuum, that will not be the case with Poole in it for the long haul. He can be content coming off the bench knowing that the starting spot will one day be his. He shot a career-high 36.4 percent on 7.6 attempts from deep (also a career-high) last season, showing he will be ready when the time arrives.