The Washington Wizards have multiple question marks about their roster moving forward, and one of the biggest unanswered questions may be the fit of Jordan Poole for the team's future rebuild.
Jordan Poole landed in Washington in the blockbuster trade that sent Chris Paul to Golden State during the summer that the team initially made the decision to enter a full rebuild after Bradley Beal's departure. In two seasons with the Wizards, the Poole experience has been everything many expected it to be and then some.
However, over the weekend, Poole put together a classic display of what exactly the experience is that both Golden State and Washington fans have dealt with over the years
Jordan Poole explodes on offense Saturday, to fizzle out on Sunday
Jordan Poole returned to the place his NBA career began on Saturday in a showdown against his former team. Whether it was the desire to show his former squad what they gave up, or the comfortability in the Bay, the Michigan product put on an absolute show in the Wizards 122-114 loss.
The guard led all scorers with a game-high 38 points on 12/25 shooting from field goal range, including 8 threes. In addition to his explosive scoring, Poole added on 5 rebounds and 5 assists showcasing all he has to offer on the court.
Following Saturday's loss, a matchup against the Kings on Sunday seemed like Poole could be in store for a huge weekend carrying the confidence from the Warriors game into battle against Sacramento. However, his performance against the Kings all but puts the Jordan Poole experience into perspective.
Bouncing back from his 38-point outing against the Warriors, Poole followed up with an absolute dud against Sacramento. The 25-year-old ended the night with 11 points, 3 assists and 1 rebounds, while shooting 4/11 from field goal range.
And while the majority of the Wizards team as a whole put together a pretty lackluster performance against the Kings, the fact of the matter is that the expectations around Poole is the inefficiency on offense will always hinder whatever team he's on.
That said, it may be time for the Wizards to truly reconsider the structure of their rebuild and really consider if keeping Poole long term is beneficial to them. If not, it may be time for the team to look at options to move on from Poole as the NBA trade deadline in February looms.