Something that has gone under the radar over the last two weeks around the trade deadline is that Jordan Poole has now logged nine straight DNPs for the 15–41 New Orleans Pelicans. Just last season, Poole averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 assists per game on respectable shooting splits.

The talent has always been there. Coming out of Michigan, Poole was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 28th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The vision was simple: a scoring-first guard learning under one of the greatest shooters of all time, Stephen Curry. That plan worked. Poole improved his scoring average in every season with Golden State and became a key contributor to the Warriors’ 2021–22 championship run, averaging 17 points per game on elite 50.8/39.1/91.5 shooting splits, primarily in a sixth-man role.

Then came the turning point. During an October practice in the 2022 offseason, Draymond Green punched Poole, an incident that appeared to shift the trajectory of his career. Since then, Poole has struggled to regain consistent playoff impact and now finds himself completely out of New Orleans’ rotation.

This is still a player with undeniable talent. Just last year, Poole ranked top three in the league in three-point percentage during the regular season, trailing only Zach LaVine and Jamal Murray. And at just 26 years old, time remains on his side. Perhaps this offseason will present another opportunity for Poole to rediscover himself in a scoring role off the bench for a contending team.

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