A lot can change in a few years.
After being drafted 28th overall by the Warriors in 2019, Jordan Poole faced plenty of doubters who weren’t shy about hurling criticism toward the then 20-year-old — and his teammates aren’t going to let them forget how wrong they were.
Juan Toscano-Anderson took to Twitter following Golden State’s Game 3 NBA playoff victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, posting an epic, one-word response to a reporter’s 2019 take from when Poole was first drafted.
The three-year-old clip features former CBS Sports college basketball/NBA writer Reid Forgrave absolutely ripping the Warriors’ first-round selection of Poole, calling it “the worst pick in the draft so far.”
“It’s nothing against Jordan Poole. No offense dude,” Forgrave said in the 2019 draft day segment. “I think the guy could be a rotation NBA player someday, but if you’re going to get a guy who can come in and make shots, you’re picking a sophomore. You’re picking a guy who’s 20 years old and has some growth to do.”
Forgrave goes on to claim Golden State likely could have signed Poole as an undrafted free agent rather than using its first-round pick on the Michigan product, even going as far as to say the selection was an “overdraft.”
“… This is an absolutely inexplicable pick by the Warriors,” Forgrave concluded.
It wasn’t just Forgrave who doubted Poole. The other analysts in the segment, Matt Norlander and Gary Parrish, both of CBS Sports, were also critical of the Warriors’ pick.
“Golden State as a franchise, with their front office, has done so many great things over the past half-decade and beyond here. I don’t see this,” Norlander said. “I think Jordan Poole has a lot of growing to do with his game … Golden State sees something, but to me, Jordan Poole was not a top-50 prospect in this draft.”
“Yeah, this doesn’t make sense to me. I would give it a D grade,” Parrish tags on. “Jordan Poole is a fine college basketball player who might turn into a relevant rotation guy in the NBA. But with so many upside guys on the board, if you’re Golden State, I’d either want to get somebody with more upside or somebody who I think can help me next season. I’m not sure Jordan Poole’s either one of those things.”
CBS Sports’ Avery Johnson wasn’t quite as critical but still gave the Poole pick a C-plus.
“… They’re just looking at, in their mind, who’s the best player available that when Steph Curry breaks down the defense, he can kick it out to somebody that can shoot,” Johnson said. “… I think they’re under the assumption that this kid can come in and make shots for them … They probably think he can be a guy that can move without the ball. He’s not a great pick-and-roll player when he’s on the ball, but he’s definitely somebody that can space the floor.”
Johnson aside, the analysts showed no mercy when it came to judging Poole’s talent.
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While Poole’s first two years in the league were filled with plenty of uncertainty, he has since put in the work to improve his game and has earned the league’s respect along the way. His ascension to NBA stardom this season has continued throughout the playoffs as the 22-year-old makes history and wreaks havoc on the court.
In retrospect, the Warriors made the perfect pick in 2019.
And JTA isn’t going to let people forget it.
