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'Horrible slump' Jordan Poole eventually relegated to bench role
Poole relegated to bench after poor performance.
The Washington Wizards lost 110-130 against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023-2024 NBA regular season at the Pepsi Bowl Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States, on March 23.
The Wizards' lineup changed on this night. Jordan Poole, who had started all 52 games this season, was demoted to the bench.
Acting Washington head coach Brian Keefe said in a pregame interview that Poole will start off the bench from now on.
In general, there are two types of benching of starters. There are two types of benching: a strategic move to improve bench competitiveness, or a player's own volition and comfort level. In Poole's case, it appears to be neither.
Poole started every game this season. There's no reason for him to suddenly drop to the bench halfway through the season.
There's also no reason to bench Poole for strategic reasons. Washington is currently one of the worst teams in the NBA with a 9-46 record. The Wizards declared a 토토 rebuild last summer when they let franchise star Bradley Beal walk, which means they're not obsessed with winning.
That's why Poole's demotion to the bench is likely due to his performance. Poole is averaging 15.6 points and 3.7 assists on 40 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from three-point range this season, his worst performance of the season. His defense is still a weakness, and his focus on the game is lacking.
Poole averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game for Golden State last season. When he moved to Washington, he was expected to take on a bigger role and score more points, but the opposite has happened. In fact, he's been just as good as he was in Golden State.
Being benched didn't change Poole's performance on this night. Poole finished with 18 points and one assist in 30 minutes, shooting just 4 of 17 from the field.
It was his first game back from the bench, and it didn't seem to work.
Poole is still under contract through the 2026-2027 season at an average value of $32 million. As it stands, Poole is arguably the worst contract in the NBA.