The Washington Wizards landed Chris Paul in a blockbuster trade that sent longtime Wizard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in a move to begin the long road ahead of a much needed rebuilding process.
However, Paul didn't stay put in Washington when the team quickly pivoted and found a suitor for the future Hall of Famer. The Wizards opted to make a move and send the point guard to the Golden State Warriors in yet another blockbuster deal. As a result, Washington brought back Jordan Poole as a young piece with high upside hoping he could be the boost to their rebuild.
Fast forward to today, the Wizards are seemingly starting to find themselves deadling with the same struggles that he not only showed last season with Washington, but his whole career with the Warriors.
That said, here's a look at the ongoing issue that seems to be holding Poole back from being a top player in the league that continue to frustrate fans.
Jordan Poole lacks consistency and efficiency
Since entering the league, Poole has been one of the more explosive scorers. There's no denying that the Michigan product has an act for putting the ball through the hoop. When he's on, he's a nightmare for opposing defenses to guard. However, the problem is, the guard is not a consistent playmaker, by any means.
Poole is averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 aassists and 2.4 rebounds this season, while shooting 43.4% from field goal range and 39.2% from beyond the arc. And while that may seem impressive, putting up good numbers on a bad team mean absolutely nothing.
The 25-year-old is a sparkplug scorer that doesn't offer much to a team in terms of winning. He can score with the best of them when he's in rhthym, but he doesn't elevate the players around him and at times he is an absolute liability on defense.
On the night's that Poole can't find his shot, he tends to lose focus and his competitive spirit seems to take a turn for the worse. In fact, there's times where the guard looks unplayable but Washington has nobody else to turn to.
If he could ever figure out his inconsistencies and become a reliable scorer and playmaker, he could develop into such a talented player. The talent is there and it's frustrating to see him struggle to put it altogether. The bad part about it now is Wizards fans are dealing with the same what-if frustrations that Warriors fans dealt with for years.