Washington Wizards: 3 areas where Jordan Poole has to improve

Ballhandling

Despite being a dangerous scorer who can attack the rim and get inside the paint, Jordan Poole’s handles are not as tight as they should be. He has a tendency to overdribble, get in traffic without a plan, and lose control of the ball. This makes him a turnover-prone player.

Poole averaged 3.1 turnovers per game last season. This means that he turned the ball over in 14.6% of the possessions he had the ball. This puts him at the 11th percentile in his position. The main culprit in these turnovers is his loose ball handling. He dribbles the ball too far from his body, making it easy for defenders to poke it away.

Another reason why he loses control of the ball is the pace he plays with. He wants to go as quickly and fast as he can in pick and rolls or when he is in attack mode. This causes him to rush things and turn the ball over.

Poole was also one of the most negatively-impacted players by the NBA’s decision to enforce carrying and palming violations last season. Poole was regularly called for carrying violations when dribbling the ball, even three times in one game earlier in the season. Poole really struggled to adjust to the new enforcement, and this threw him off his game the whole season.

Fortunately, we can expect Poole to adapt to this with a full offseason to work on it. This will almost certainly help cut Poole’s turnover problem and bring his offense to new levels.