The Golden State Warriors snapped a four-game losing streak with a massive win against the Utah Jazz, the team with the NBA’s best record this 2020-21. Although Draymond Green registered his 26th triple-double and Stephen Curry poured in 32 points, it was rookie James Wiseman and young prospects Jordan Poole and Nico Mannion who kept the Dubs in position to finish the game.
The youngsters recorded 39 of the Warriors’ bench points in the win.
After the game, Green spoke highly about the improvement of Poole.
“You have to give him a lot of credit. He is in this gym every day with (Player Development Coach) Luke (Loucks), (Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development), CD (Chris DeMarco), and those guys getting his work in. He went down to G League, and (Head Coach) Kris Weems held him accountable. I think that he took a few steps forward, not just offensively but overall as a player down there under Kris Weems’ tutelage,” Green said of the Warriors youngster.
“It is showing as he has come back up here. I think that it has been three or four games now. It is showing in his play. You have to give that kid a lot of credit. I’m not sure if anyone on our team is in the gym more than him. It feels good when you see guys like that get rewarded.”
For his part, Wiseman has shown flashes of how great he can be, but just like Golden State as a whole, the rookie has been inconsistent throughout his first year in the pros. In a matchup where he was guarded by one of the NBA’s best centers, he had maybe his best game of the season. Coach Steve Kerr was pleased with Wiseman and the other young players who had productive games.
“The idea is that James is a scorer. He scores the ball pretty easily if he gets it in the right positions, and Jordan and Nico are both capable of getting him the ball in those spots, so we think the three of them make a good group together. If Jordan or Nico are able to knock down shots and James is that threat on the pick-and-roll, then we can develop an offensive identity with that group, and that’s the idea,” Kerr explained.
“I like their competitiveness, too. All three guys really want to be out there. They want to compete and win. This is all part of what we are trying to do this year. I’ve said it many times, we are trying to win games, and we are trying to develop young guys, and we are trying to do it all at once. Tonight, we were able to thread that needle, so let’s hope we can continue to do this.”
Nico Mannion, Jordan Poole making the most of their Warriors’ opportunity
Mannion and Poole spent most of the season down in the NBA G-League. Since being called up, both players have been key pieces in the second unit. They make mistakes, but neither player is shying away from the competition.
On Sunday inChase Center, they put together their best performance together as a member of the Warriors. Kerr recognized the productivity with the two combined with Wiseman.
“I thought all three guys were great. We’re kind of throwing them into the deep end a little bit, but we love their talent and their potential, and we also really like the way they play together. They fit well together because of James’ threat as a dive-man, and both Jordan and Nico are good pick-and-roll players, and Jordan and Nico really have developed a good synergy over the course of the season. They are good friends, and they went to Orlando and played really well together. I realize putting all three of them out there with that second group is putting a lot on their shoulders, but there is a reason why we are doing it. We believe in those guys.”
Golden State came into the game struggling to find a productive second unit, and so the Jazz–led by All-Stars Donavan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Mile Conley–were expected to dominate from the get-go. Instead, however, the Dubs saw a glimpse of their bright future with the trio of youngsters leading the way.
“I think we have a lot of potential. We’re extremely gifted and talented, and as soon as we’re able to gain chemistry, all five guys, and catch a little bit of rhythm like we did later in the second quarter and in the fourth quarter today, I think we’re dangerous” Poole said postgame.
The Dubs recorded 33 assists in the win against the Jazz, and the bench scored 51 points led by Poole (18) and Wiseman (16). They face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers next as they look to go 2-0 in back-to-back home games.
