Not always a strong defender, Stephen Curry. Despite the fact that his size prohibits him from truly making a difference on that end, talented ball handlers from the opposition frequently target him in pick-and-roll situations with tremendous success. But the franchise player for the Golden State Warriors isn’t the defensive liability he was early in his career; rather, he’s developing into one of the best guard defenders in basketball.
Does Jordan Poole’s potential for future improvement match that of Curry’s on that end? It certainly appears doable if the defensively averse Poole pays attention to his wise advise from his seasoned teammate.
We all experience the realisation that this is necessary to win basketball games, he stated. “It always goes back to you’re not trying to transform me or Jordan or players who aren’t known for our defence into defensive stoppers, but it’s about the effort, intelligence, and willingness to simply try every possession,” the player said. You must accept the physicality and energy it demands.
But defending against guys like Curry and Poole requires more than just putting up a good battle and maintaining focus. Having the steadfast faith and spirit necessary to hold onto the hope that success would eventually come in spite of prior setbacks is also necessary.
The most important thing is to not be afraid to fail, Curry added. “Most of the time, you don’t try because you don’t want to mess up, or you don’t say something because you don’t want to say the wrong thing on defence, or you’re not aggressive because you might want to pass off a matchup to someone and try to leave, or you’re not vocal because you don’t want to sound defensively incorrect. Things will happen, including being scored upon and crossing over, so you must be prepared to simply go on. It certainly helps once you get beyond that mental barrier, in my opinion
Steve Kerr has emphasised numerous times that Poole must make significant defensive improvements before joining the Warriors’ closing five on a regular basis. Curry was sufficiently dominant offensively during the second half of Golden State’s title run to guarantee Kerr didn’t need to make that kind of defensive compromise. Putting both of them on the court naturally gives the opponent two other lines of attack.
Steve Kerr on next steps for Jordan Poole’s game after extension.
“He’s earned every penny, but I reminded him that last year in the playoffs he played 17 or 18 minutes a game. I wanna play him 30, 32 minutes, but that can only happen if he continues his progression [on D].” pic.twitter.com/kY3rsEDnUq
— Jack Winter (@ArmstrongWinter) October 16, 2022
Will Kerr have to make that difficult choice in pivotal situations throughout 2022–2023? Probably. It won’t take long for Poole to develop into a two-way player in the mould of Klay ThompsonKerr’s projection, not ours. This season, Poole should be able to contribute more frequently for the Warriors when it matters most by making little defensive adjustments, and Curry has already given him the guidelines for doing so.
Jordan Poole’s advice from Stephen Curry about defence: “Don’t be afraid to fail” was the first to appear on ClutchPoints.
