As Jordan Poole prepares for his first NBA season with the Washington Wizards, NBA legend and Hall of Famer, Kevin Garnett revealed his high expectations for the former Golden State Warriors guard.
Per SHOWTIME Basketball on Twitter:
Jordan Poole is ready to lead the Washington Wizards
Garnett compared Poole to a younger James Harden. Garnett said, "Remember when James Harden left OKC and he got to Houston and he got right at it? Man, this the Jordan Poole show."
To jog your memory, and make you feel old and decrypt: before he joined the Houston Rockets, James Harden was the sixth man on an Oklahoma City Thunder team featuring Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. To KG's point, the parallels are there with Poole. After a tumultuous season with Golden State last year, Garnett seems confident Poole will follow in Harden's footsteps, get back on track, and thrive in his new environment.
Additionally, Garnett credited the Wizards with having the "new duo in the league" in Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. Garnett explained, "Not only do these two have that showmanship in them, I think Jordan Poole feels like he's been held back." The thing is, Poole still averaged 20 points a game last season. Now, as the new face of the Wizards franchise, Poole's possibilities are endless.
This could explain Garnett's high expectations. "I look for Jordan Poole to be top 5 in scoring this year," said Garnett. "And if he don't shoot more than 25 balls I'll be shocked. And if he don't have not one, but a couple 60 balls this year. I will be shocked." As of now, Jordan Poole's career-high is 43 points. In his first preseason game with the Wizards, Poole finished with 18 points, two assists, and one rebound. As of now, the Wizards are 2-0 in preseason. With that said, Kevin Garnett might be onto something.