Jordan Poole has wasted no time talking down on the entire Washington Wizards franchise since he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans leading up to the draft. During NBA media day, Poole took a subtle shot at his former teammates, saying he hadn’t received a good screen since he arrived in D.C. Now, he’s taking another shot, but this time it’s at the fans.
Jordan Poole Fires Another Shot At Washington, “Dead In There”
Poole was traded to capitalize on his revival campaign. Last season, he led the Wizards in scoring with a career-high mark of 20.5 points. Additionally, he led the team in assists with 4.5, which tied his career-high. However, even with Washington giving him the tools to up his value, he still seems to diss the Wizards at every given opportunity.
When asked about his thoughts on the energy the Pelicans fans brought to their home-opening loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Poole had this to say.
“It feels so good to be in an environment where fans are engaged… The last three years, dead in there. It was dead in Capital One (Arena).”
Reasons For “Death”
While Poole is correct in saying it was dead in the arena, no doubt. According to ESPN’s Attendance Report, Washington has had the bottom-10 attendance since the league reopened games for spectators after the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, the Wizards averaged just under 16,900 fans at their 41 home games, which was 27th in the league. However, there are some reasons for the “death” that he may not have picked up on.
Taking into consideration that the Wizards had a combined record of 33-131 (.201) since Poole arrived in the 2023-24 season, a picture can begin to take shape. In just two seasons, the Wizards lost almost 100 more games than they won. What did fans really have to cheer about? Another small piece of this is that the Wizards, during Poole’s two seasons, were actually better on the road than at home. They won more games on the road (18) than at home (15) during Poole’s employment.
Why would fans spend their hard-earned money to watch their favorite team in person when the quality of play is worse? Obviously, fans should show support. However, when those same fans just last decade were in contention for a playoff spot every year, and had prime John Wall dominating the league, there has been a level of disappointment for the team since the turn of the 2020s.
New Reason For Hope
What Poole fails to realize is that there is now a new sense of hope and optimism in this newly rebuilt Wizards squad. Kyshawn George has been amazing to start the season, and Poole’s replacement, Tre Johnson, has played much better than Poole did in his first season in Washington. Additionally, Alex Sarr has had a strong start to his season, and players like Will Riley and CJ McCollum have proven to be worthy assets that Washington traded for.
The Last Word
Overall, Poole and the Wizards seem to be on a course for a player-franchise rivalry. Both Wizards’ players and fans will be sure to “welcome” Poole back to Capital One in 2026, when the Pelicans travel to D.C. in what could be a very physical battle.
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