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Do we have a Poole problem?

Do we have a Poole problem?

Wizards Newswire

Michael Shagoury & Ali Zaaza
November 05, 2023

Standing the East: 15th (last 😒 )

Win/Loss Record: 1 / 4

This week…

Weekly Recap: Wizards go 0-3 second week of the season
Where are they now: Monte Mooris
Should we be worried about Jordan Poole?
Weekly Wizards Headlines
Upcoming Schedule

Weekly Recap

^{Celtics blowout the Wizards at home 126-107}

Zaz and I were at Capitol One for this one. The 1st quarter reminded me how much I miss Porzingis 🙁. Remember how he used to start games, knocking down 3s from the top of the key, getting an &+1 on a mis-match post up. Well, now we know how it feels on the other side of the equation. I usually don’t post videos of the opposing team but today I am making an exception…

Not much to say about the Wizards in this one besides that they were mediocre for the most part.

The best part of night came in the 4th quarter when Unseld finally threw in the towel and let all the young guys get some decent playing time. It’s a rebuilding year so that is what we should be doing anyway.

Eugene Omoruy continues to impress, scoring 14 in the 4th while Bilal finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks…

@_bilalcoulibaly
He finished with 9 pts 8 rebounds and 2 block Via trashtalk ig #bucketcouly #bilalcoulibaly #wizardsnation #basketball #hooper #nbadebut #... See more

^{Hawks cruise past Wizards to win 130-121}

The Wizards looked decent in this one for the most part in the first half. Kuzma led the way with 18 points in the first 2 quarters followed by Poole with 11.

Unfortunately, the Hawks went on a run towards the end of the 2nd quarter and the game was pretty much out of reach from that point on.

The Wizards actually shot over 67% from the field in the second half (we rank 9th in the league in FG% which is crazy given our record) but we still are struggling from the beyond the arc. Overall, I am happy wit Kuzma who has definitely taken the reigns as the leader of this team (for now).

^{Wizards lose 1st In-Season Tournament game to Heat 121-114}

Similar story in this one. The Wizards started off well but lost grasp of the game towards the end of the 2nd quarter which made recovery unlikely.

In the first half, the Wizards shot over 56% from the field and made an impressive 50% of their 3-point shots. Kuzma again led the way with 11 points in the first 2 quarters and ended the game with 22.

Poole looked better, especially in his decision making, ending the game with 6 assists and only 2 turnovers (yes that’s an improvement).

Here is a breakdown of the Wizards upcoming In-Season schedule.

In my opinion this was the Wizards play of the night from our veteran Danillo Gallinari…

Where are they now?

Monte Morris had his ups and downs with the Wizards but overall he was a great addition to the team. Over summer, the Wizards new front office traded Morris to the Detroit Pistons for a 2027 second round. This was one of the few transactions that seemed like a fair trade from Michael Winger.

Morris has yet to play with the Pistons as he deals with a quad strain but he was seemingly pumped with where he landed given that he grew up in Grand Rapids MI.

IM COMING HOME!!! Let’s get it @DetroitPistons 🔒🔒💙❤️
— Monte Morris (@BigGameTae)
3:27 AM • Jul 1, 2023

Good luck Monte!

Houston we have a Jordan Poole Problem!

When the Wizards offloaded Bradley Beal in the offseason, the rebuilding process had officially begun.

But in a twist, Chris Paul, was sent to the Warriors for Jordan Pool, a future second-round pick, and a 2030 top 20 protected first-round pick. Jordan Poole brought with him a 4-year / $128 million contract, which is something rebuilding teams typically DON’T take on.

I wasn’t sure why wasn’t Chris Paul just flipped for a first-round pick? But then it became apparent that Wizard’s management is betting on Poole shining in DC, and then being traded away for more value.

Fast forward five games into the season, Poole is averaging 17.6 points, on 42% shooting from the field, and 30% from the three-point line. He’s also averaging three turnovers a game. Not the performance you’d expect from a player making $32 million/year.

But most of all, whether accurate or not, some of the accusations on why the Warriors traded Poole in the first place are surfacing. The list includes having an attitude, being selfish, and now, even shameless.

In week 2’s edition, we included the publicity Poole received for not passing the ball to his teammates. This week, Poole drew criticism for his recent “showtime” alley-oop pass off backboard while his team was losing by 20. This prompted an article from Sports Nation that “Jordan Poole on the Wizards is pure chaos”.

@free2productions
#jordanpoole #kylekuzma #lob #blowout #crowd #boo #atlantahawks #washingtonwizards #nba #fyp #foryou #viral

It’s still early, but as of now, Wizards management’s gamble on Poole is looking more like we went from a Beal contract problem to now a Poole contract problem.

Top Weekly Headlines

Report: Monumental asks DC for $600M for arena renovations

The Arena is nearly 30 years old and looking to do an arena bowl transformation. Last July, there were rumors that Monumental Sports & Entertainment was in exploratory talks about moving the Washington Wizards and Capitals to a site in Arlington County, Va.

The Draymond & Poole beef is the Wizards’ biggest storyline this season, for now

Poole, now with the Washington Wizards, still can’t completely get away from the shadow of his old team. And this beef will make Washington’s and Golden State’s first meeting very interesting.

Watch: Wizards guard booed after more boneheaded antics

Washington Wizards shooting guard Jordan Poole had just one assist during the team's road loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, but his best pass of the game didn't actually net him that dime.