Steve Kerr hates the way Jordan Poole’s tenure with the Golden State Warriors ended.
Poole got punched in the face by Draymond Green last season and was traded to the Washington Wizards in July.
“I look back at that, and I hate that it happened,” Kerr said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I know that in my heart, that when (the punch) happened, we handled it the best way we thought we could handle it. But in hindsight — and hindsight is always 20/20 — we could have done better for sure. I just hate the way it ended for Jordan here, because he is a huge success story. For us and for him, this was a great marriage. He helped us win a title. We helped him, you know, become a champion and a guy who signed a big contract, life-changing contract. It was all wildly successful. But I hate the way it ended.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Steve Kerr, Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors Updates
Poole helped the Warriors win the 2022 championship over the Boston Celtics. The Warriors signed Poole to a four-year, $128 million contract in October 2022. Everyone thought Poole would spend his entire career in Golden State, but everything changed after the Green punch.
“He worked his ass off, earned everything, had to learn the hard way,” Kerr said. “Threw him into the deep end right away, and he struggled. Pandemic year was hard on everybody. Then once the gym opened back up, he was in here every day. I always love when young guys learn from experience and figure out, ‘OK, this is what I have to do.’ And then he went and did it.”
Poole averaged 15.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 266 games with the Warriors. The Michigan product returns to Golden State tomorrow to face his old team.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Steve Kerr, Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors Updates
For the Wizards this season, Poole is averaging 17.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He’s shooting 41.6% from the field, 32.5% from 3 and 86.4% from the free-throw line.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
Interested in reading the latest storylines and analysis in the NFL? Check out our partner NFL Analysis Network.
