Andre Iguodala has opened up about confronting Jordan Poole when the young guard was in a slump with the Warriors.
A veteran leader in Golden State, Iguodala wasn’t shy to speak up, especially when he felt Poole wasn’t trying on defence.
“I would tell him, Jordan it looks like you’re trying not to try,” Iguodala said on JJ Redick’s podcast The Old Man and the Three. “Do you know how much energy it takes to try not to try? It takes less energy to try.”
Iguodala also opened up about Poole wanting the same level of freedom afforded to Warriors veterans Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
“It was a hindrance to Jordan Poole,” Iguodala said. “Because Jordan’s like, why can’t I go out there and be free like them? Yeah, he doesn’t have four rings, he has one, and he won us a game in the Finals, he did do that. Game 5.
“And so, he’s coming back like, no, I’ve shown y’all that, give me some freedom. And I’m second on the team in scoring. He was second on the team in scoring. So, why should I be the guy – Like, all those emotions, he’s a real human being, so he’s like, nah, I’m doing what I do, I’ve been sacrificing.”
Despite averaging a career-high 20.4 points per game last season, Poole’s field goal shooting dipped to 43 percent, the lowest since his rookie year.
Throw in his defensive problems and his physical confrontation with Draymond Green, and eventually the Warriors decided to move on (yes, even though Green punchied him).
Poole at least gets a fresh start with the Wizards heading into the new season, and there will be less of a spotlight in Washington too.