The Washington Wizards don’t know much about winning these days and haven’t experienced competitive basketball since the days of John Wall and Bradley Beal. Unfortunately, the 2024-25 NBA season has not proved any better. Washington again sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and one of the worst teams in the league. However, the current state of the Wizards doesn’t have Jordan Poole down in the dumps. Sure, there’s no doubt he would like to be winning and gearing up for the playoffs like his Golden State Warriors days. Despite where his team stands in the league, Poole is rather optimistic about the future in the District of Columbia and spoke with Marc J. Spears of Andscape about what he sees.
Jordan Poole Says Wizards Are Experiencing ‘Snowball Effect”
Washing Wizards’ Jordan Poole Believes His Team Has a High Ceiling
Poole is a champion; no one can take that away from him. He was electric right beside Steph Curry in the 2022 finals run the Warriors went on. Steve Kerr had opened the door to Poole to shoot like Curry, whenever and from wherever on the court. Even though Poole threw up some bad shots, Kerr and everyone else knew he could shoot and knock them down more often than not. Therefore, he had the same green light that Curry had. However, things in Golden State turned sour after that finals run, and after one more season there, Poole was shipped to Washington. Poole has continued to do “Poole” things there and has entertained, at best. However, the Wizards have failed to compete in the three seasons with him in the mix. In a positive light, Poole has put up numbers, averaging 20 or more points per game in two of three seasons.
It’s foggy at best—the Wizards future. They don’t have a good team and look far from a competing one. However, if you ask Poole, which Spears did in a fantastic one-on-one conversation about cats, he believes the ceiling for the Wizards is higher than most believe it to be.
“The ceiling is high. We got a lot of guys in here who care, a lot of talented guys, a lot of guys who just love to hoop and they just love the game. And that goes a really long way and they’re young and they’re learning. What is helping them is that they’re getting a chance to do it in real time.” Poole continued, “The ball is rolling. Snowball effect right now. It’ll take a little bit, but we got the right group, the right set up. We’re in a really good situation right now. We’re playing some fun basketball. It’s something going to be more competitive, better as we go.”
So, About that Snowball…
Preferably, that snowball Poole talks about better be rolling quickly for the Wizards sake. Washington has not sniffed the postseason in four years. Their last appearance was in the 2020-21 season, but were bounced in round one. Since then, they’ve drafted some nice players such as Kyshawn George and, most recently, Alex Sarr in last summer’s draft. They have respectable veteran leadership in Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, and considering where they are in the standings this year, they’ll get another crack at a top draft pick this summer.
As for Poole, he has taken on a leadership role with the Wizards—opposite of his role with the Warriors. He was in trade rumors earlier in the season, so whether he’ll be a part of this snowball in the coming years remains to be seen. That said, the present is where Poole is, and he sees growth with his squad in the present. Let the snowball continue to roll in Washington.
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