<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-jordan-poole-throws-shade-wizards-fans-not-being-fired-up-enough-for-a-tanking-team');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Jordan Poole throws shade at Wizards fans for not being fired up enough for a tanking team');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Poole-vs-the-Spurs.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen Lew-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Jordan Poole throws shade at Wizards fans for not being fired up enough for a tanking team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-27T09:52:18-07:00">October 27th, 9:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-27T09:52:18-07:00">October 27th, 9:52am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/how-zion-williamson-wants-impact-felt-defense-willie-green">New Orleans Pelicans have</a> gotten off to a rough start to the 2025 NBA season, currently sitting at 0-2 after their most recent home loss <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-stephon-castle-overtime-clutch-shot">to the San Antonio Spurs.</a> The Pelicans are still working to integrate some new pieces into the fold, including Jordan Poole, whom the team acquired from the Washington Wizards over the offseason in exchange for CJ McCollum.</p><p>Poole has bizarrely <a href="https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/rumors/2025/10/27/jordan-poole-contrasts-pelicans-crowd-with-wizards-it-was-dead-in-capital-one/86924857007/" rel="noopener">taken numerous shots</a> at the Wizards organization and their fans since arriving in New Orleans, and that trend continued with a new quote ahead of Monday evening’s matchup against the Boston Celtics.</p><p>“I loved it. Oh my God, I loved it,” said Poole about playing a home game in New Orleans for the first time, per Chaz NBA on YouTube, via Hoopshype. “I went back and I told all my people, like — it feels so good to be in an environment where the fans are engaged, and you can feel the electricity in there. You can feel the positive energy. You can feel the fans chanting. Like, the last two years? Dead in there. It was dead in Capital One.”</p><p>While it’s true that the Wizards aren’t necessarily known for their raucous home court environments, Poole didn’t exactly give fans a lot to cheer about during his time there.</p><h2><b>An interesting Pelicans team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Jordan-Poole-laughs-with-Herb-Jones_d54959.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As previously mentioned, the New Orleans Pelicans have stumbled out of the gates to an 0-2 record, although they have played two potential West playoff teams in the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs to open up the year.</p><p>The Pelicans are still waiting to get Dejounte Murray back from the torn Achilles he suffered last year in order to be completely whole, but the team has gotten two strong performances out of Zion Williamson to open up the year, scoring 27 points in each of the first two contests.</p><p>In any case, the Pelicans are set to host the Celtics at 8:00 PM ET on Monday evening, followed by a road trip that will see them face the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Jordan Poole throws shade at Wizards fans for not being fired up enough for a tanking team

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/exclusive-why-pelicans-comparing-jordan-poole-allen-iverson');   ga('set', 'title', 'Exclusive: Jordan Poole drawing Allen Iverson comparison early in Pelicans tenure');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Jordan-Poole-drawing-Allen-Iverson-comparison-early-in-Pelicans-tenure.jpg"></figure><h1>Exclusive: Jordan Poole drawing Allen Iverson comparison early in Pelicans tenure</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-24T16:32:02-07:00">October 24th, 4:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-24T16:32:02-07:00">October 24th, 4:32pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a Memphis Grizzlies beat reporter for ClutchPoints who has also covered the New Orleans Pelicans. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Allen Iverson’s shadow looms large over basketball’s pantheon, a six-foot-flat blur of cornrows, crossovers, and unyielding heart that redefined the scoring guard position. Two decades later, another undersized assassin with a penchant for pull-ups steps into that lineage, not by imitation, but by inheritance. At least that is how the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-zion-williamson-issues-playful-warning-ja-morant-after-grizzlies-loss">New Orleans Pelicans hope things play out</a> for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-jordan-poole-giddiness-kevon-looney-reunion-wizards-jab">Jordan Poole in the Big Easy.</a></p><p>As calls for ‘Iverson cuts’ ripple through the huddle and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-zion-williamson-laughing-hysterically-before-grizzlies-game">Zion Williamson vouches for his new backcourt mate</a>‘s dogged spirit, Poole’s journey with the Pelicans has evolved into a quest for redemption and reinvention. Speaking with ClutchPoints before the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401809938/pelicans-grizzlies" rel="noopener">season-opening loss</a> to the Memphis Grizzlies, Poole opened up about his deep admiration for The Answer and how that connection has become a meaningful part of the 26-year-old’s identity.</p><p>“I just gravitated towards (Iverson) when I was young. Just watching him hoop with his swag, with his style,” Poole told ClutchPoints. “How he was with the ball and was able to score at his size and stuff. That’s why he is my favorite player. I channel that energy and now I’m someone’s favorite player. They even gave me a signed AI card.”</p><p>The moment was pure serendipity: A fan slipped Poole the autographed card during pregame warmups, a gesture that hit home for a player who’s spent his career chasing that same elusive blend of flair and ferocity. When Herb Jones overheard the conversation, the usually stoic defender couldn’t help but crack a smile when checking out the gift. Everyone stopped for a look. Iverson is universally beloved and Poole’s stall was the first on the left after all.</p><p>Moments later, Jones laughing broke up the seriousness of really trying to stand in a Hall of Famer’s shoes, metaphorically speaking. Still, the fan’s gesture is now a guarded possession.</p><p>“All that’s much appreciated,” Poole said humbly. “I’m just going to play my game and let that speak for itself.”</p><p>That game, as it turns out, includes echoes of Iverson’s iconic playbook.</p><h2><b>Zion Williamson protecting Pelicans</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Jordan-Poole-defense-Pelicans.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Allen Iverson parallels are not just fan-driven nostalgia. Zion Williamson was quick to confirm that the comparison runs deeper than surface-level similarities, though there was a qualifier.</p><p>“First off, I’m going to give my respect to AI,” Williamson smiled. “You know The Answer. He is a legend in the game. Me and Poole had conversations about it. I’m pretty sure he has a tattoo of Allen Iverson, just out of respect for him. (Poole) definitely looks up to him, studies his film.”</p><p>Williamson didn’t stop at acknowledging Poole’s fandom. The All-Star forward outlined specific offensive concepts the Pelicans plan to deploy to unlock Poole’s scoring potential.</p><p>“I think with the Iverson cuts that we can set up for Poole,” began Williamson, “he can definitely take advantage of those things.”</p><p>Perhaps more importantly, Zion’s endorsement went deeper than schemes. Williamson offered a compelling defense of his new teammate’s character.</p><p>“I think another thing with Poole is that social media has this kind of portrayed image of him. When you get around him, he is a dog. He is a competitor. He is a good dude to be around,” Williamson shared. “I said it before, and I’m going to say it again: I’m glad (Poole) is on this team with us.”</p><p>That last comment speaks to the narrative rehabilitation Poole hopes to achieve in New Orleans. After a turbulent final season with the Golden State Warriors and a year with the Washington Wizards where wins were scarce, the NBA Champion is getting a chance to redefine himself alongside one of the league’s most dominant forces.</p><h2><b>Fresh start for Jordan Poole</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Jordan-Poole-laughs-with-Herb-Jones.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jordan Poole’s debut (17 points, 6-14 FGA) offered glimpses of that fire. Unfortunately, it was far from flawless as 15 of those points and both assists came in the first half. Poole coughed up three turnovers and was held in check for the entire second half, but the poise was there for the Pelicans. That is a far cry from the inconsistency that plagued him in Washington last season and New Orleans since Chris Paul left town.</p><p>Willie Green, ever the optimist even in defeat, lavished praise on Poole’s two-way promise. Where Iverson’s defensive reputation was, shall we say, selectively engaged, Green sees Poole as a more complete operator from the jump.</p><p>“(Poole) has the capability of doing both. He can be a guy who handles the ball when we’re playing pick-and-roll and can find his teammates. He is also extremely dynamic coming off the ball, coming off pins, coming off different screens,” Green noted after the Grizzlies game. “He’s got a great shot fake, gets to the basket. He is an underrated finisher. I love what he brought to the group tonight.”</p><p>That last line — “I love what he brought to the group tonight” — wasn’t about a box score. It was about presence. The same way Iverson’s energy once reshaped Philadelphia’s identity, Poole’s arrival redefines what the Pelicans’ offense <i>feels</i> like. Dejounte Murray’s return after the holiday season should only enhance this feature in the team’s new offensive hierarchy.</p><p>New city, new teammates, and new energy. For Jordan Poole, the move to New Orleans isn’t just about reviving his career; it’s about rewriting the story being told. If Allen Iverson taught us anything, it’s that style and substance can coexist in the pursuit of redemption. Thankfully, for perhaps the first time, Poole has found a locker room that not only embraces his admiration for Allen Iverson but is actively building its offense around it.</p><p>With a star teammate (Zion Williamson) in his corner and a coach who believes in his two-way potential, Poole is getting the ultimate chance to rewrite his story by channeling his idol.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Exclusive: Jordan Poole drawing Allen Iverson comparison early in Pelicans tenure

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/why-wizards-jordan-poole-trade-prosperity-cj-mccollum');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Wizards’ Jordan Poole trade was necessary step toward long-awaited prosperity');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Why-Wizards-Jordan-Poole-trade-was-necessary-step-toward-long-awaited-prosperity.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Wizards’ Jordan Poole trade was necessary step toward long-awaited prosperity</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-14T21:12:46-07:00">October 14th, 9:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-15T07:32:21-07:00">October 15th, 7:32am</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>WASHINGTON, D.C. — While conventional wisdom says not to read too much into the preseason, the Washington Wizards’ first two exhibition games suggested that they made the right moves over the summer.</p><p>In addition to drafting Texas guard Tre Johnson, Illinois forward Will Riley, and Florida State guard Jamir Watkins, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-wizards-cj-mccollum-jordan-poole-trade">Wizards traded guard Jordan Poole</a> and forward Saddiq Bey to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package including guard CJ McCollum. Dealing the 26-year-old <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-jordan-poole-honest-dc-three-point-record">Poole after he set the franchise single-season three-point record</a> for a 34-year-old on an expiring contract isn’t a sexy return on paper, but it makes sense for Washington.</p><p>Poole and Bey are under contract through 2027, so shedding them cleared the team’s books for the 2026 offseason. The Wizards will be $140.2 million <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/washington-wizards/cap/_/year/2026" rel="noopener">under the first salary cap apron</a> with a roster entirely comprised of rookie contracts besides guard Corey Kispert and forward Justin Champagnie, per Spotrac. That’ll allow them to offer multi-year deals to free agents in their 20s like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/why-cam-thomas-signing-6-million-qualifying-offer-marks-beginning-of-end-of-nets-tenure">Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas</a> (24 points per game last season), Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (20.4 PPG), and Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (18.4 PPG), assuming they don’t re-sign with their current teams before the summer.</p><p>Sunday and Monday’s preseason games previewed how far along Washington’s young core is even without those type of players in the fold. It does have McCollum (21.1 PPG) and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/bucks-news-khris-middleton-wizards-kyle-kuzma-trade">34-year-old forward Khris Middleton</a> (11.9 PPG), who will help keep it in games for as long as they’re on the Wizards this year. However, almost all of the long-term pieces already have performances to hang their hats on.</p><p>In Sunday’s 113-112 loss to the Toronto Raptors, former first-team All-Rookie big man Alex Sarr notched 12 points (4-5 FG, 1-1 3 PT) with eight rebounds, two blocks, and one steal in just 17 minutes. The 20-year-old, who shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from deep as a rookie last season, was more aggressive inside and played more physically than he did in his first campaign.</p><p>Meanwhile, second-year wing Kyshawn George scored 11 points on just 3-14 shooting (1-7 3 PT) but led all players with four blocks and tied Middleton for the team lead with nine rebounds in 25 minutes. The defensive prowess is nothing new for George, as he had six games with multiple rejections from Jan. 30 onward last season.</p><p>Additionally, third-year forward Cam Whitmore (9.4 PPG), who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-acquiring-cam-whitmore-in-trade-with-rockets">Washington acquired from the Houston Rockets</a> over the summer, has 17 points on 7-11 shooting (2-3 3 PT) over 27 minutes across the two games, and Riley led the bench with 17 points (7-11 FG, 1-4 3 PT) in Monday’s 120-103 win over the New York Knicks. The rookie also hit two free throws to give the team a one-point lead with 0.8 seconds left on Sunday.</p><p>The Knicks sat their starters, but these performances are still encouraging for an organization that is banking on long-term development. Suppose the aforementioned players along with former second-team All-Rookie guard Bub Carrington and two-time Rising Star guard Bilal Coulibaly (thumb) maintain an upward trajectory. In that case, the Wizards will be competitive next season and beyond (barring injury) after adding 2026 free agents and rookies to the group.</p><h2><b>Bub Carrington names key improvement for Kyshawn George</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Wizards-Kyshawn-George.jpg"><figcaption>© Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Other than Trade Deadline acquisition AJ Johnson, George was Washington’s only first-round rookie not to earn Rising Star honors last season. However, this year might be a different story. The 21-year-old has built on his second-half improvement from his rookie campaign by notching 22 points (6-20 FG, 2-8 3 PT) with nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocks over 37 preseason minutes thus far, and that’s after averaging 17 points on 41.2 percent shooting across two Summer League games.</p><p>Carrington spoke about what George <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1975995389246394745" rel="noopener">has improved on recently</a> after practice on Oct. 8.</p><p>“Being himself. In my opinion, he wasn’t bad at anything. The only thing he was bad at was knowing he’s Kyshawn George,” the Pittsburgh University product said. “Like bro, go hoop. I think he’s getting really good at that now, being more confident. It’ll be a very big season for him.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I asked Bub Carrington what Kyshawn George improved on recently:</p><p>“Being himself. In my opinion he wasn’t bad at anything. The only thing he was bad at was knowing he’s Kyshawn George. Like bro, go hoop. I think he’s getting really good at that now, being more confident..” <a href="https://t.co/Zt0zEQbDcA">pic.twitter.com/Zt0zEQbDcA</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1975995389246394745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>George struggled out of the gate as a rookie, shooting under 40 percent from the field each month until passing that mark in February, March, and April. The 6-foot-8, 200-pounder also doubled his average points, blocks, and steals during that period despite playing a similar amount of minutes.</p><p>Based on his recent performances, the confidence George gained from last season’s improvement looks to be carrying over into this year, as Carrington mentioned. A Year 2 breakout for the former Miami Hurricane would be another feather in the front office’s cap, which acquired him from the Knicks on Draft night in 2024. Washington traded the No. 26 and 51 overall picks for George, who was the No. 24 pick.</p><p>Any non-lottery pick becoming a key rotation piece is a win, but the Switzerland native must keep proving himself as the Wizards’ young hoopers compete for minutes. The club will conclude the preseason with a road game against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday before opening the regular season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 22.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Wizards’ Jordan Poole trade was necessary step toward long-awaited prosperity

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-jordan-poole-was-in-australia-see-kangaroos-koalas');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Jordan Poole was in Australia to see ‘kangaroos, koalas’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Poole-at-practice.jpg"><figcaption>Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Jordan Poole was in Australia to see ‘kangaroos, koalas’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-05T09:28:30-07:00">October 5th, 9:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-05T09:28:30-07:00">October 5th, 9:28am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University alum from Atlanta who graduated with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans have been in Australia this week, taking part in some preseason basketball. It’s all been in an effort to get this <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-balling-out-preseason-opener-hope">Pelicans team ready to go</a> for a 2025-26 season that will kick off in less than three weeks <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-tuomas-iisalo-scotty-pippen-jr-approaching-intense-training-camp-battles">against the Memphis Grizzlies.</a></p><p>One of the Pelicans’ big additions this offseason was guard Jordan Poole, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards.</p><p>Recently, Poole spoke on <a href="https://x.com/PelsFilmRoom/status/1974718744116031833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1974718744116031833%7Ctwgr%5E7260e23f26342e18054e0cf6fa81fa8ecaf223c0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoopshype.com%2Frumors%2F" rel="noopener">one of the highlights</a> of the Australia trip for him.</p><p>“We went to go see some Kangaroos and Koalas bro. That’s all I cared about. “They put that excursion on there, and I was pretty much good after that.”</p><p>While fans will be happy to hear that Poole was enjoying the local wildlife, they’d also like for the Pelicans to come back looking like a better version of themselves than what they put on display throughout the 2025-26 NBA season.</p><p>During that campaign, New Orleans finished with one of the worst records in the league, thanks in no small part due to injury.</p><h2><b>Can the Pelicans bounce back?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pelicans-forward-Zion-Williamson-2.jpg"><figcaption>Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As has been the case for New Orleans for several years now, the team’s chances of success rise and fall with the health of Zion Williamson, which has been one of the biggest question marks in the NBA ever since he entered the league back in 2019.</p><p>Recently, Pelicans fans were given some reason for optimism when Williamson showed up to training camp seemingly in the best shape of his career; however, more wary New Orleans fans will know not to be fooled by offseason photos and workout footage and instead reserve their judgment for when the season actually begins.</p><p>On paper, the Pelicans don’t have a bad roster, with Poole and Trey Murphy III bringing outside shooting, Herb Jones locking down opponents on defense, and Dejounte Murray orchestrating things when he returns from injury, all supplementing the star talent that is Williamson.</p><p>However, it remains to be seen if the Pelicans will be able to put it all together this year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans’ Jordan Poole was in Australia to see ‘kangaroos, koalas’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-jordan-poole-giddiness-kevon-looney-reunion-wizards-jab');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans’ Jordan Poole’s giddiness about Kevon Looney reunion features Wizards jab');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Wizards-Jordan-Poole-2.jpg"><figcaption>© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pelicans’ Jordan Poole’s giddiness about Kevon Looney reunion features Wizards jab</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-23T09:51:47-07:00">September 23rd, 9:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-23T09:51:47-07:00">September 23rd, 9:51am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jordan Poole didn’t hold back when asked about his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-jordan-poole-so-lit-message-after-nola-signs-kevon-looney">reunion with former Golden State Warriors teammate Kevon Looney</a>. Speaking during New Orleans Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, the 25-year-old guard <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1970521693526351914" rel="noopener">expressed excitement</a> about teaming up with Looney again while also taking a subtle jab at his former team, the Washington Wizards.</p><p>“I’m super excited, man. I haven’t had a good screen in two years so it’ll be dope,” Poole said.</p><p>Poole and Looney spent four seasons together with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-stephen-curry-2022-nba-finals-celtics">Warriors, capturing a championship in 2022</a>. Looney, a reliable screen-setter and interior presence, earned three titles during his decade-long stint in Golden State. Their reunion in New Orleans follows a pair of challenging years for Poole in Washington, where he often shouldered a heavier offensive load with fewer veteran stabilizers around him.</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole calls Kevon Looney reunion vital for Pelicans’ revamped roster</b></h2><p>“Playing with somebody who’s won a championship, obviously you go through a long season and you just build the relationship in terms of just basketball and chemistry,” Poole said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I’m super excited, man. I haven’t had a good screen in two years.”</p><p>Pelicans guard Jordan Poole on playing with Kevon Looney again 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/D2gX3Tc2AP">pic.twitter.com/D2gX3Tc2AP</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1970521693526351914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>“For me personally, it’s a really big pickup just for how I play – I think it’s huge for our team too for the young guys, for DQ, for Missi, for opening the floor up for guys like Trey and Hawkins, Herb… just our experience. We have a really good group and I think Troy and Joe did a good job of putting this unit together.”</p><p>Poole arrives in New Orleans after averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game with the Wizards last season. He appeared in 68 games and shot 43.2% from the field and 37.8% from three-point range in 29.4 minutes per contest.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-new-orleans-signs-3-time-nba-champion-warriors-free-agency">Looney, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans</a> this offseason, adds much-needed frontcourt depth. In 76 games for the Warriors last season, the 6-foot-9 center averaged 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 51.4% from the field in 15 minutes per game.</p><p>New Orleans opens the 2025-26 season on Wednesday, Oct. 22, against the Memphis Grizzlies. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/new-orleans-pelicans-2025-nba-free-agency-grades-every-signing">revamped roster also includes additions like Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney</a>, rookies Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, and veterans Saddiq Bey and Jalen McDaniels. The Pelicans are looking to rebound from a 21-61 campaign, the second-worst record in franchise history.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
20.0	2.0	3.7	0.3	0.3

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
20.0	2.0	3.7	0.3	0.3

Jordan Poole

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Pelicans’ Jordan Poole was in Australia to see ‘kangaroos, koalas’

Pelicans’ Jordan Poole’s giddiness about Kevon Looney reunion features Wizards jab

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