Jordan Poole Addresses Draymond Green’s Punch, Difficult Season

The Golden State Warriors’ 2022-23 NBA season is over after falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.

Failing to make it back-to-back NBA titles, the Warriors will be on the radar once more as they try to figure out what went wrong. Stephen Curry will still be around, but pundits feel that there will be major changes happening in the team this offseason.

One player who performed below par in the NBA playoffs was Jordan Poole. Still young, there is no question that the Warriors guard still has a lot to learn, particularly in the shift in roles.

However, there is no denying that the biggest challenge for the 23-year-old guard is maturity.

Before the NBA season started, Poole was involved in a fracas with Draymond Green. The latter was caught on video landing a vicious punch that knocked out the Wisconsin native in an incident that head coach Steve Kerr called the “biggest crisis” of his time in charge of the Warriors.

Despite the incident, Poole signed a massive four-year contract extension worth $128 million about a week later.

Initially, it seemed everything was settled, with the Warriors and several personalities blasting the leaked video. But as most know, the season did not exactly go well for the team.

The tension between the older and the younger players that the punching incident laid bare never really went away, unnamed sources told ESPN.

Poole finally addressed the matter this week, telling ESPN: “I don’t speak on it much. But I will say that … you’ve got to have a different level of maturity.”

“We had a season to play. You’re going to have to play with these people in the locker room, and that’s why I said maturity is a big thing. What I know for a fact is there aren’t many people who would be able to think logically and understand the magnitude of the situation, you know?” he added.

In the playoffs, it was apparent that the Warriors were struggling and blew hot and cold.

In the opinion of Lindy’s Pro Basketball Annual editor Roland Lazenby, it was something that marred the Dubs’ season despite them making it to the NBA Western Conference semi-finals.

“The Warriors have issues galore. There is a crisis of confidence in how they play,” Lazenby said during an interview with PTV Sports.

Looking ahead, the Warriors will have decisions to make. It all starts with general manager Bob Myers, whose contract will expire in June.

Aside from Myers, there are also the statuses of role players like Donte DiVincenzo, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Though he signed a four-year contract extension, it also cannot be discounted that Poole could be part of a trade package. Green could also be a player to watch this offseason.