<!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', '/wizards-news-is-jordan-poole-playing-rockets-latest-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Is Wizards’ Jordan Poole playing vs. Rockets? Latest injury update');   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/2025/01/Is-Jordan-Poole-playing-vs.-Rockets-Latest-injury-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Is Wizards’ Jordan Poole playing vs. Rockets? Latest injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-07T10:21:37-08:00">January 7th, 10:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-07T14:58:48-08:00">January 7th, 2:58pm</time><address><a>Erik Slater</a>Erik Slater is the credentialed Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for ClutchPoints. He's a graduate of Lehigh University and the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, as well as a Lehigh Football and Syracuse Football alum.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-vs-wizards-prediction-odds-pick-1-7-2025">Washington Wizards will host the Houston Rockets</a> on Tuesday at Capital One Arena. Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, and Carlton Carrington are all listed as questionable on the team’s injury report. Poole has a left hip contusion. Coulibaly has a non-COVID illness. And Carrington has right ankle soreness.</p><p>Here’s everything we know about their injuries and playing status vs. the Rockets.</p><p><i><b>*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">(Get Access | Save $30)</a>*</b></i></p><h2>Jordan Poole injury status vs. Rockets</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Poole missed the Wizards’ 110-98 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday due to his hip ailment. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-game-winner-hornets-incredible-malcom-brogdon-take">sixth-year guard has been productive</a> while battling injuries in recent weeks, averaging 27.5 points and 4.3 assists on 44/44/81 shooting splits over his last six appearances.</p><p>A questionable tag inspires some hope that Poole will be able to take the floor versus Houston after he was a late scratch for Washington’s last game.</p><p>Coulibaly has missed the Wizards’ last two games due to illness. The No. 7 pick in the 2023 draft has averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals on 43/30/79 shooting splits over 29 appearances during his sophomore campaign.</p><p>Carrington popped up on Washington’s injury report ahead of the Houston matchup due to his ankle ailment. The 19-year-old guard played 34 minutes during Sunday’s loss to New Orleans, posting 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from three.</p><p>He’s shown promise this season after the Wizards selected him 14th overall out of Pittsburgh, averaging 9.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 42/36/82 shooting splits.</p><p>The Wizards will also be without Malcolm Brogdon and Marvin Bagley vs. Houston. Brogdon exited Sunday’s loss with a right foot injury. The veteran guard has averaged 13.8 points and 3.9 assists on 44/31/89 shooting splits after j<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-blazers-trade-malcolm-brogdon-wizards-deni-avdija">oining Washington from the Portland Trail Blazers</a> as part of a package for Deni Avdija.</p><p>Bagley has been sidelined by a knee sprain since Christmas. The former No. 2-overall pick has averaged 4.9 points and 2.9 rebounds on 53.5 percent shooting over 19 appearances after joining Washington in a trade this offseason.</p><p>The Wizards have won three of their last nine games following a 3-21 start to the season. They’ll face a tough test against the Rockets, who hold the NBA’s fourth-best record at 23-12.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Is Wizards’ Jordan Poole playing vs. Rockets? Latest injury update

<!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', '/wizards-fans-want-jordan-poole-apology-alex-sarr-apology-forms-after-win-bulls');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards fans want Jordan Poole, Alex Sarr ‘apology forms’ after decisive win vs. Bulls');   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/2025/01/Wizards-news-Washington-fans-want-Jordan-Poole-%E2%80%98apology-forms-after-decisive-win-vs-Bulls.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards fans want Jordan Poole, Alex Sarr ‘apology forms’ after decisive win vs. Bulls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-01-02T21:42:02-08:00">January 2nd, 9:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-01-03T08:17:12-08:00">January 3rd, 8:17am</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">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Don’t look now, but the Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-corey-kispert-reveals-1-reason-kyle-kuzma-injury-return-helps">Wizards are 3-4 over their last seven</a> games after starting 3-21. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-cant-stand-alex-sarr-slander">Jordan Poole and Alex Sarr are both</a> big reasons why, and Wizards fans aren’t being shy about it on social media.</p><p>“<a href="https://x.com/Domo8186/status/1874640171322482768" rel="noopener">Who got the</a> Jordan Poole and Alex Sarr apology forms 😂” @Domo8186 tweeted.</p><p>“<a href="https://x.com/pointmadebball/status/1874662531501080653" rel="noopener">We gotta give</a> Jordan Poole his flowers,” Point Made Basketball said. “He’s not only averaging career highs in points [21.7], assists [4.9], 3P% [41], steals [1.7], and blocks [0.5], but he’s been an amazing vet. He’s taken the Wiz Kids under his wing, mentoring them while also playing the best ball of his life.”</p><p>“While yall <a href="https://x.com/HanBenet/status/1874905381732032842" rel="noopener">debating who better</a>, a reminder that Poole actually makes his team &amp; rooks better,” @HanBenet said. “No amount of stats will tell you that tho.”</p><p>“I’ve posted about it before, but if you aren’t on the Alex Sarr bandwagon, you might want to get your ticket soon,” Spotrac’s Keith Lee said as an addendum to the <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1874823695841239401" rel="noopener">rookie’s passing highlights</a> from Wednesday night. “Sarr is rapidly improving, especially as a playmaker.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I've posted about it before, but if you aren't on the Alex Sarr bandwagon, you might want to get your ticket soon. Sarr is rapidly improving, especially as a playmaker. <a href="https://t.co/isdCfO5t3J">pic.twitter.com/isdCfO5t3J</a></p><p>— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1874823695841239401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Sarr delivered yet another quality outing amid his recent hot streak in Wednesday’s 125-107 win over the Chicago Bulls, scoring 11 points (5-of-11 FG, 1-of-2 3Pt) with 10 rebounds and five assists across 25 minutes. The No. 2 overall pick continued his momentum after leading all rookies in points (13.8), three-pointers (2.2), and blocks (1.7) per game in December. He also led all Eastern Conference rookies with 6.3 boards per game.</p><p>Those numbers earned Sarr Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors, <a href="https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/alex-sarr-named-eastern-conference-rookie-of-the-month" rel="noopener">which was announced</a> on Thursday, via NBA.com. The French international is the first Wizard to win the award since Bradley Beal in January 2013, and is the 11th selection in franchise history.</p><p>While Sarr was slept on coming into the season after an uneven Summer League performance, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-not-happy-new-bench-role-vs-nuggets">Poole was left for dead</a> by national media and fans alike after getting benched last year. However, the former NBA champion picked up where he left off prior to missing two games with a hip injury, logging 30 points (10-of-21 FG, 6-of-13 3Pt) with three rebounds and two assists across 28 minutes against the Bulls. Now, <a href="https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1874878388026192043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1874878388026192043%7Ctwgr%5E0a4bd921ea498f94615200922eb378c673dd86b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fnews%2F2025-all-star-voting-first-results" rel="noopener">he’s eighth in</a> All-Star voting among Eastern Conference guards, via NBA PR.</p><p>More importantly, though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-game-winner-hornets-incredible-malcom-brogdon-take">Poole’s setting an example of excellence</a> that will help accelerate Washington’s rebuild.</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole’s success, mentorship aids Wizards rookies</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-Kyshawn-George-and-Jonas-Valanciunas.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>At this point, every knowledgeable fan knows that Poole’s risen to another level this year. The 25-year-old’s <a href="https://twitter.com/sorcierewaves/status/1875021106157150493" rel="noopener">post-game comments</a> about Washington’s rookies, though, show why he’s also the perfect leader for the team right now, via Wizards PR.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I would like to point out that this could definitely be applied to all of our lives as well. the answer is — it just takes TIME. to do anything. it will be awful in the beginning. and nothing, I mean NOTHING, is linear. everyone isn't the same, we all grow with our own pace <a href="https://t.co/zDtnFVAM7n">pic.twitter.com/zDtnFVAM7n</a></p><p>— sorcière folle szn 🔮🏄🏻‍♀️✨ (@sorcierewaves) <a href="https://twitter.com/sorcierewaves/status/1875021106157150493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I talk to Kyshawn [George] about this pretty often. Kyshawn’s an extremely high-level shooter, and I continuously tell them that I only shot 27% from three my first year,” Poole admitted. “I’m talking like, couldn’t throw a rock into the ocean. It made me better, it just takes time. It took me an entire year just to adjust to the line, adjust to the games, adjust to the physicality.”</p><p>George, who shot 40.8% from deep for Miami basketball last season, is shooting just 25.2% from downtown in the NBA thus far. However, the No. 24 overall pick has plenty of time to reach Poole’s current level of three-point shooting, especially when the former Golden State Warrior is there to mentor him daily.</p><p>“We’re guarding, we’re running, we play 82 games, we’re traveling, so it’s more so on the body,” Poole continued. “It just takes time to get acclimated to, and credit to our rookies for continuing to stick through it, not changing their game, not wavering in confidence. It’s a good opportunity for them to be out there and play through that as well.”</p><p>While George has started slow as he figures out the NBA game, Bub Carrington sports a 40.7% clip from the field thus far, with Wednesday’s outing his most efficient yet. The Baltimore native scored 11 points (4-of-5 FG, 3-of-3 3Pt) with four rebounds, six assists, one block, and one steal across 31 minutes.</p><p>It’s one thing to be a talented rookie getting consistent minutes, and it’s another thing to have an accomplished veteran role model on top of that. Sarr, Carrington, and George are all in the best position they could ask for with Poole at their disposal.</p><p>Up next for the Wizards is a home-and-home set with the New Orleans Pelicans, which presents the perfect chance to get a win streak going. At 5-29, the Pelicans are the only team in the league with a worse record than Washington.</p><p>Additionally, Zion Williamson (hamstring) <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401705038/wizards-pelicans" rel="noopener">won’t play on</a> Friday in New Orleans, while Brandon Ingram (ankle) will be out for both games, via ESPN. Facing the worst team in the NBA without its two best players should end in a victory at the Smoothie King Center, which would end the Wizards’ 12-game road losing streak.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards fans want Jordan Poole, Alex Sarr ‘apology forms’ after decisive win vs. Bulls

<!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', '/wizards-news-owner-ted-leonsis-shouts-out-jordan-poole-fans-knicks-contest');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards owner Ted Leonsis shouts out Jordan Poole, fans ahead of Knicks contest');   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/2024/12/0-Owner-Ted-Leonsis-shouts-out-Jordan-Poole-fans-ahead-of-Knicks-contest-0.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards owner Ted Leonsis shouts out Jordan Poole, fans ahead of Knicks contest</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-28T13:23:26-08:00">December 28th, 1:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-28T13:24:49-08:00">December 28th, 1:24pm</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">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-fans-now-feeling-much-better-about-rebuild-after-stunning-trades">Wizards fans have had to endure</a> plenty of losses in recent years, but that helps them appreciate the little things. For example, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-goes-viral-after-wild-ending-to-hornets-game">Jordan Poole’s game-winning three-pointer</a> against the Charlotte Hornets had Capital One Arena rocking on Thursday night, and team owner Ted Leonsis took notice.</p><p>Leonsis <a href="https://x.com/tedleonsis/status/1873014300031500636?s=46" rel="noopener">shouted out the</a> Wizards fans who went to the Hornets game, via X, formerly known as “Twitter.”</p><p>“Great to see all the fans @CapitalOneArena enjoying the Poole party! Big shot and game winner!” the 67-year-old businessman said.<br>“@WashWizards back in action on the home court tonight vs New York [Knicks]. Catch the game on @MonSportsNet.”</p><p>Leonsis’ <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1872479930404987030" rel="noopener">tweet was in response</a> to Poole’s fan shoutout after Thursday’s game, via the Wizards’ X account.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🗣️ Shoutout to the faaannnsss!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheDistrict?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheDistrict</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/MonSportsNet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MonSportsNet</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZAlJPo4Ih3">pic.twitter.com/ZAlJPo4Ih3</a></p><p>— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1872479930404987030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Shout out to the fans, ’cause the fans was in it today,” the former NBA champion said. “Shout out to the fans!”</p><p>Speaking of the little things, the 5-23 Wizards no longer have the NBA’s worst record. For now, that title belongs to the 5-27 New Orleans Pelicans.</p><p>While Washington’s rebuild will look ugly at times, moments like Thursday night serve as a reminder to the fanbase that the organization is headed in the right direction. A competitive performance against the 21-10 Knicks on Saturday night would further reinforce that notion.</p><p>However, the Wizards have their work cut out for them, as Poole is considered a <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401704995/knicks-wizards" rel="noopener">game-time decision</a> with a left hip contusion, via ESPN. The 25-year-old played through the injury while hitting Thursday’s game-winner.</p><p>Veteran small forward Kyle Kuzma has also been ruled out with a rib ailment. With Washington’s top player hobbled and its second-best player absent, it won’t be easy to take down Jalen Brunson and company.</p><p>However, these injuries increase opportunities for young players like Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr to shine. With dependable veterans like Malcolm Brogdon and Jonas Valanciunas also available, the Wizards have the talent to surprise New York at home.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis shouts out Jordan Poole, fans ahead of Knicks contest

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-game-winner-hornets-incredible-malcom-brogdon-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jordan Poole’s game-winner vs. Hornets draws ‘incredible’ Malcom Brogdon take');   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/2024/12/Wizards-news-Jordan-Pooles-game-winner-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>Jordan Poole’s game-winner vs. Hornets draws ‘incredible’ Malcom Brogdon take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-27T15:35:06-08:00">December 27th, 3:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-27T17:01:49-08:00">December 27th, 5:01pm</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">Charlotte Hornets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards performed well from top to bottom in their 113-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-goes-viral-after-wild-ending-to-hornets-game">Jordan Poole stole the headlines</a> with his game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds. The former NBA champion’s heroic shot is his latest highlight amid a career year, and his teammates can’t say enough about him.</p><p>Ninth-year veteran Malcolm Brogdon praised Poole’s <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1872716284959621492?s=46" rel="noopener">leadership after Friday’s practice</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malcolm Brogdon on Jordan Poole’s game-winning shot against the Hornets: “incredible…we’re seeing him flourish.”<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Wizards</a> <a href="https://t.co/BGwHtI3oHw">pic.twitter.com/BGwHtI3oHw</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1872716284959621492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Incredible. I think we’re just seeing him really flourish this year,” the former Sixth Man of the Year said. “Last year he faced a lot of criticism. Just sky-high expectations for him last year, and still sky-high expectations for him this year, but he’s meeting them. He’s playing exceptional basketball and leading in the right way with his work ethic, with his energy every day, he’s the ultimate professional. The results speak for themselves.”</p><p>After a difficult campaign last season that saw <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-not-happy-new-bench-role-vs-nuggets">Poole get benched</a>, he now leads the team with 21.3 points per game, five assists, and 1.6 steals. His 40.7% clip from deep also tops the squad, which is impressive considering that his 8.7 attempts per game are the most by far. Corey Kispert is second with 5.8.</p><p>Those numbers are also career highs for Poole, who now owns the Wizards’ record for consecutive games with a made three (56 and counting). The 2019 first-round pick also became the first player in franchise history to reach 39 points, eight assists, and nine made three-pointers in the same game, which he accomplished in Washington’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-franchise-history-overpower-nikola-jokic-nuggets">122-113 win over the Denver Nuggets</a> on December 7.</p><p>What better player to lead the team than one who’s reaching unforeseen heights in the nation’s capital?</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole earns respect of Wizards teammates</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Brogdon wasn’t the only Wizard singing Poole’s praises after his <a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1872737460209500416" rel="noopener">contested splash in the big moment</a>, via Monumental Sports Networks Chase Hughes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malcolm Brogdon and Justin Champagnie on Jordan Poole’s shot last night:</p><p>🏀Brogdon spoke of how well Poole has lived up to expectations this year<br>🏀Champagnie was amazed with how Poole overcame an injury to do it <a href="https://t.co/uJxnEceYyk">pic.twitter.com/uJxnEceYyk</a></p><p>— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/chasedcsports/status/1872737460209500416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“That was tough. Jordan was hurt all game, so for him to kind of thug it out and stick through it and hit that big shot at the end was big for us and big for our team,” small forward Justin Champagnie said. “It shows how much you wanna win, we wanna get the dubs and play the right way. That was a big win for us, we needed that one and it felt good for sure.”</p><p>It’s no surprise that Brogdon pointed out Poole’s leadership, while Champagnie mentioned his toughness. Brogdon is an accomplished veteran who’s now on his fifth team and has played in 43 playoff games with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, and Jalen Brown, so he knows a thing or two about discipline and work ethic. The fact that someone with his experience thinks highly of Poole speaks volumes.</p><p>Ditto for Champagnie, who had the toughest road possible to get to where he is now. The Pitt alum went undrafted in 2021 before bouncing between the NBA and G League within the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics organizations. He then signed a 10-day contract with the Wizards on February 22, 2024, before graduating to a two-way deal on March 3. Now, he’s averaging a career-high 24.2 minutes per game at the NBA level, with eight starts out of 11 appearances thus far.</p><p>In other words, Champagnie wouldn’t call just anybody tough. The ’24 All-G League Second Teamer had nothing handed to him as he rose the NBA ladder, relying on resilience and grit rather than pure talent alone. That’s why moments like Poole playing through injury on a non-contending team stick out to him, especially in today’s “load management” era. He’s probably used to playing through ailments, as fringe players can’t afford to miss time as much as established ones. “JP,” though, plays like he’s fighting for his own roster spot.</p><p>It’s one thing to make nice shots, but the respect that Poole’s earned in Washington’s locker room shows why he deserves the keys to the franchise.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jordan Poole’s game-winner vs. Hornets draws ‘incredible’ Malcom Brogdon take

<!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', '/warriors-news-draymond-green-eye-opening-admission-jordan-poole-incident');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Draymond Green drops eye-opening admission on Jordan Poole incident');   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/2024/12/Draymond-Green-drops-eye-opening-admission-on-Jordan-Poole-incident.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Draymond Green drops eye-opening admission on Jordan Poole incident</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-27T11:31:27-08:00">December 27th, 11:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-27T12:19:02-08:00">December 27th, 12:19pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-the-financial-reason-golden-state-traded-jordan-poole-for-chris-paul">Warriors’ future took a major turn</a> when Draymond Green and Jordan Poole got into an altercation during practice a season after winning the NBA championship. They were never able to come back from that situation, which led to the Warriors trading Poole to the Washington Wizards.</p><p>Green has been apologetic about the moment several times, and he <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1872698371959574797" rel="noopener">recently opened up</a> on his show about how it taught him to be a better vet to his younger teammates.</p><p>“One of my biggest failures as a vet was what happened with Jordan Poole,” Green said. “It took me to go through that failure with Jordan Poole, who was someone that came and chose his locker to be next to me because he wanted to learn from me, was someone that I would spend time with, someone I’d pour into, and I f—-d it all up.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Draymond Green says the Jordan Poole situation taught him how to be a better vet</p><p>“It taught me a ton, it showed me how to be a better vet…I had to go through that in order to learn.”</p><p>(h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/NBABeyondCourt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBABeyondCourt</a> )</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/LSBtkG7LZJ">pic.twitter.com/LSBtkG7LZJ</a></p><p>— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1872698371959574797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It taught me a ton, it showed me how to be a better vet for Jonathan Kuminga, how to be a better vet for Moses Moody I had to go through that in order to learn.”</p><p>“With Jordan Poole I wanted to pour into him as well and I did pour into him, but the ‘how to’ I didn’t necessarily know. Because I necessarily didn’t know, that led us to a place that you can’t come back from.”</p><p>Poole was set to be the future of the Warriors, but with the incident, it didn’t seem like the best idea for him to still be on the same team with Green. Poole is now doing his thing with the Wizards, and he’s looking to take the keys to that franchise instead.</p><h2>Draymond Green opens up about Jordan Poole incident</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Draymond-Green_9d14c7.jpg"><figcaption>John Hefti-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Earlier this season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-admits-harsh-reality-after-jordan-poole-incident">Draymond Green also spoke about the Jordan Poole</a> incident and how it led him to distance himself from the team.</p><p>“A couple years ago, man, I really distanced myself,” Green said in an interview with Andscape. “And I had to. I needed to. When that incident happened [with Poole], I just really needed to. So, I really distanced myself. And in doing that, you miss a lot. But once you do that it’s hard to come back.”</p><p>Green ended up stepping away from the team at that time and was fined for the incident. When Green came back, it was obvious that things wouldn’t be the same, and something had to change during the offseason. It seems like Green has grown from the incident, and maybe one day, he and Poole can come together and move past it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Draymond Green drops eye-opening admission on Jordan Poole incident

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-5-word-game-winning-shot-hornets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Jordan Poole’s 5-word admission on game-winning shot vs. Hornets');   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/2024/12/0Jordan-Pooles-4-word-admission-on-game-winning-shot-vs.-Hornets0.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Jordan Poole’s 5-word admission on game-winning shot vs. Hornets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-27T08:52:09-08:00">December 27th, 8:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-27T08:52:09-08:00">December 27th, 8:52am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Through the first 28 games of 2024-2025, the Washington Wizards have had just five reasons to smile. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-goes-viral-after-wild-ending-to-hornets-game">Jordan Poole gave them the biggest reason</a> on Dec. 26 with a thrilling game-winner over the Charlotte Hornets.</p><p>Poole, who ended with a team-high 25 points in the 113-110 win, was nonchalant about his performance after the game. The sixth-year guard <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1872527143865032818" rel="noopener">gave a sly response</a> to his impressive stepback three-pointer over Josh Green.</p><p>“I practice those every day,” Poole said in his post-game interview.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I practice those everyday.”</p><p>Jordan Poole on his game-winner for the Wizards 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/5TS4qpvrn6">pic.twitter.com/5TS4qpvrn6</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1872527143865032818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Poole’s three gave the Wizards a 112-110 lead with 8.1 seconds remaining. Brandon Miller missed a three-pointer in the ensuing possession, allowing the rebound to go to Justin Champagnie, who would be fouled by Green. Champagnie made one of his two free throws to give Washington a three-point lead, which would end up being the final score. Miles Bridges missed a full-court heave at the buzzer that would have tied the game and sent it to overtime.</p><p>The 25-point effort marked Poole’s fifth straight game topping 20 points. He has led the team in scoring in each of those contests. Overall, Poole has been the Wizards’ leading scorer in 13 of their 28 games.</p><p>LaMelo Ball poured in a game-high 31 points for the Hornets in a losing effort. Bridges added 22 points for Charlotte while Bilal Coulibaly supplemented Poole on the Wizards with 20 points.</p><h2><b>Wizards improve to 2-2 in last four games</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It has been difficult to call anything in the 2024-2025 season a success for the Wizards, but the struggling team has shown signs of improvement late in December. Washington’s win over the Hornets makes them an improved 2-2 in its last four games, a slight uptick in production.</p><p>In 11 days, the Wizards have won two games against the Hornets, sandwiching losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. These results make Charlotte the only team against which Washington owns the season series.</p><p>Washington’s recent “success” has come in spite of Kyle Kuzma’s absence. Kuzma, widely considered the team’s second-best player, has not played since Nov. 27. He has missed the 11 games since with a rib sprain, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kyle-kuzma-drawing-serious-trade-interest">trade rumors continue to swirl</a>.</p><p>Overall, the Wizards are still just 5-23 on the year with two games remaining — both against the New York Knicks — in the calendar year. As the 2025 NBA trade deadline continues to approach, many expect Washington to be active on the market with several veteran pieces potentially on the move. Kuzma headlines that group of players, along with Malcolm Brogdon, Jonas Valanciunas and Corey Kispert.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Jordan Poole’s 5-word admission on game-winning shot vs. Hornets

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-goes-viral-after-wild-ending-to-hornets-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral after wild ending to Hornets game');   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/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-goes-viral-after-wild-ending-to-Hornets-game.png"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral after wild ending to Hornets game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-26T20:25:51-08:00">December 26th, 8:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-26T20:26:53-08:00">December 26th, 8:26pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards may be one of the worst teams in the NBA at the moment based on win-loss record, but that should not obscure the fact that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-even-jordan-poole-impressed-near-half-court-shot">Jordan Poole has been having</a> quite the bounce-back season. And Poole continued his redemption arc on Thursday, as he drilled an incredible stepback three with 8.1 seconds left in the game to give the Wizards a 113-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets on the night after Christmas.</p><p>Poole had Hornets defender Josh Green on skates; catching the ball on the move, the Wizards guard brought out the crossover and promptly stepped back from three-point range, with Green’s contest causing Poole’s momentum to go backwards, making him fall to the hardwood. But even with that good of a contest, Poole made the <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1872471697166860617" rel="noopener">go-ahead triple</a> to give Washington just its fifth win of the season in 28 games.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JORDAN POOLE FOR THE LEAD 🔥</p><p>Wizards and Hornets are trading clutch buckets back and forth in the 4th quarter!<a href="https://t.co/zAzFTRkXHh">pic.twitter.com/zAzFTRkXHh</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1872471697166860617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Fans may call Poole a great many things, but one thing’s for sure — the Wizards guard’s confidence never wavers. And indeed, after the game, the 25-year-old guard declared that he is the <a href="https://twitter.com/bijan_todd/status/1872480803990765910" rel="noopener">right guy for that big moment</a>, and he showed as such with the way he delivered on Thursday night.</p><p>“I’ve always felt like I’ve been the man for the moment. I make big shots all the time. Credit to the coaching staff for putting the ball in my hands,” Poole said in his postgame presser, via Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jordan Poole on his game-winner:</p><p>“I’ve always felt like I’ve been the man for the moment. I make big shots all the time. Credit to the coaching staff for putting the ball in my hands.”</p><p>Peep the look he gave after I asked if he wanted the iso vs. Josh Green lol 😏 <a href="https://t.co/rcikizL3pi">pic.twitter.com/rcikizL3pi</a></p><p>— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) <a href="https://twitter.com/bijan_todd/status/1872480803990765910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Poole finished the game with 25 points, although he did shot just 7-19 from the field and 5-15 from beyond the arc. But even though he was not having the best of shooting nights, the Wizards guard still comes through when his team needed him the most.</p><h2><b>Social media gives love to Wizards’ Jordan Poole</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-goes-viral-after-wild-ending-to-Hornets-game-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jordan Poole’s stock has fallen precipitously ever since he won the 2022 NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors. Last season, his first with the Wizards, Poole looked like he was second-guessing himself for the first time in his career. But now, it looks like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-draymond-green-shares-honest-jordan-poole-review-after-win-vs-wizards">he has regained his joy</a>, and fans love to see him back to being at his best.</p><p>“So proud of Jordan Poole He did not give a f**k what we had to say he just put his head down and worked,” X user @YFCNeedle <a href="https://x.com/YFCNeedle/status/1872496717968572494" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p><p>“jordan poole is him,” @lucaomts <a href="https://x.com/lucaomts/status/1872483548143489162" rel="noopener">added</a>.</p><p>Even Warriors fans are missing Poole and are imploring the team to get him back from the Wizards.</p><p>“@warriors please get Jordan Poole back please. The young boy is now a man please. We made a mistake by sending him away. We are gonna regret in the near future if we don’t get home back…” @sparklesmorgan4 <a href="https://x.com/sparklesmorgan4/status/1872494135615377566" rel="noopener">pleaded</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral after wild ending to Hornets game

<!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', '/wizards-news-even-jordan-poole-impressed-near-half-court-shot');   ga('set', 'title', 'Even Jordan Poole was impressed with his near half-court shot');   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/2024/12/Wizards-news-Even-Jordan-Poole-was-impressed-with-his-near-half-court-shot.jpg"></figure><h1>Even Jordan Poole was impressed with his near half-court shot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-24T07:20:16-08:00">December 24th, 7:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-24T07:21:03-08:00">December 24th, 7:21am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Wizards suffered yet another blowout loss as they continue their historically awful start to the season, but they actually competed with the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder for three quarters on Monday night. The biggest reason for that was Jordan Poole, who poured in a team-high 31 points in the 123-105 defeat. Poole also delivered one of the <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1871379670815670414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1871379670815670414%7Ctwgr%5Ee715e613cbe1a4251081619c2b1fb588de516f38%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D3180675action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">best highlights of the night</a> by burying a sick logo 3-pointer from just inside half court at the end of the first half.</p><p>Poole’s reaction was priceless as even he couldn’t believe he hit the shot:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jordan Poole DRAINED this three from the Thunder logo to end the first half 😲</p><p>Poole is up to 22 points on 4-of-8 3PT as the Wizards trail OKC 67-63 at halftime.<a href="https://t.co/AeHr7pORlz">pic.twitter.com/AeHr7pORlz</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1871379670815670414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jordan Poole’s 22-point first-half outburst had the Wizards down by just four points at halftime against the Thunder, and it was still a four-point game heading into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Washington, OKC’s league-best defense brought out the clamps in the fourth quarter as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over offensively. SGA scored a game-high 41 points to drop the Wizards to a lowly 4-23 on the season and 1-12 on the road.</p><p>While Washington is truly terrible with a -14.8 average point differential, Poole has actually had a decent campaign, especially compared to last season’s disaster. The 25-year-old guard was awful in his first season in the nation’s capital after his trade from the Golden State Warriors, shooting just 41.3% from the field and 32.6% from 3-point range. This season, Poole is putting up a career-high 21.2 points per game while shooting 41.2% from long distance.</p><p>Poole still commits his fair share of turnovers and viral lowlights, like his recent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics">failed taunt of Payton Pritchard</a>. And as long as he’s on this terrible Wizards team, it will be hard to shake the negative rep he has developed since the Draymond Green incident with the Dubs.</p><p>However, there have been some <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-wizards-jordan-poole-gets-trade-interest-from-serious-title-contender">trade rumors surrounding Poole</a>, and perhaps he gets sent to a better situation. We’re still not that far removed from the guard being an NBA Finals hero, so maybe he’ll still be able to change his rep for the better.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Even Jordan Poole was impressed with his near half-court shot

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-laughs-off-stephen-a-smith-diss-barbershop-talk');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Jordan Poole laughs off Stephen A. Smith’s diss as ‘barbershop talk’');   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/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-laughs-off-Stephen-A_8a4648.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Jordan Poole laughs off Stephen A. Smith’s diss as ‘barbershop talk’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-18T16:22:57-08:00">December 18th, 4:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-18T17:35:40-08:00">December 18th, 5:35pm</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>Celebrating and showboating after a nice play have always been a big part of the NBA, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics">Jordan Poole is especially known for that.</a> However, famed TV personality <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt">Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think</a> the Washington Wizards guard has earned the right.</p><p>Poole <a href="https://x.com/joshvaldez100/status/1869460022876635178?s=46" rel="noopener">won’t stop being himself</a>, though.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I asked Jordan Poole how he felt about Stephen A. Smith’s recent comments…he laughed it off and dismissed it as “barbershop talk” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/wizards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#wizards</a> <a href="https://t.co/rwkAgBswQT">pic.twitter.com/rwkAgBswQT</a></p><p>— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshvaldez100/status/1869460022876635178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Nah, I don’t even be watching it, [Smith’s show]” the former NBA champion said with a smile after Wednesday’s practice. “It’s just barbershop talk to me. That’s all it is.”</p><p>Smith criticized a viral moment during Sunday’s 112-98 loss to the Boston Celtics. Poole crossed up Celtics guard Payton Pritchard and pointed at him when he fell to the ground, but the playful taunt allowed fellow Celtic Sam Hauser to close out. Thus, Poole had to pass the ball instead of taking the wide-open jumper seconds earlier.</p><p>Both the play and Smith’s comments are <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869063323779744174" rel="noopener">in the clip below</a>, via ESPN First Take.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Gone from a champion [in the Warriors] to a [Wizards] team that since he has arrived is 18-88. 70 games under .500 but you showboated. That's why his a*s is in the nation's capital."</p><p>Stephen A. Smith on Jordan Poole's taunt to Payton Pritchard.<a href="https://t.co/KrVOuhvhG2">pic.twitter.com/KrVOuhvhG2</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869063323779744174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“We all know he caused a little trouble in Golden State. Ego got a bit big. We know how Draymond [Green] responded to that, and ultimately how he couldn’t stay there any longer,” Smith said. “So he gets moved, and he gets moved to a situation going from a champion to a team that since he’s arrived is 18-88. 70 games under .500, but you showboated. That’s why his a** is in the nation’s capital.”</p><p>Poole, of course, played for the Golden State Warriors before they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jordan-poole-chris-paul-trade-mike-dunleavy-jr-eating-his-words">traded him to Washington</a> in July 2023. Smith was referring to when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jordan-poole-gets-honest-on-relationship-with-draymond-green-months-after-punch">Green punched Poole at practice</a> in the fall of 2022, framing it as a result of the latter player’s ego. Poole had reportedly called Green an <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/what-jordan-poole-is-rumored-to-have-said-to-spark-draymond-green-punch" rel="noopener">“expensive backpack for 30,”</a> implying that Steph Curry carried him throughout his Hall-of-Fame-caliber career, via NBC Sports.</p><p>Old locker-room drama aside, does Smith have a point, or should he relax?</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole has matured on the Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Poole was both a different player and person when Golden State drafted him 28th overall in 2019. The Michigan alum was coming off a successful collegiate career in which he led the Wolverines to two straight Sweet Sixteen berths. While he often flashed his dynamic scoring ability in both the NBA and G League his first couple of seasons, he was criticized for having more flare than polish.</p><p>Poole’s basketball IQ hadn’t evolved yet, as he sometimes took ill-advised shots instead of spreading the ball around, which led to streaky results. However, the Milwaukee native took a step forward in the 2021-22, becoming a mainstay in Golden State’s rotation and leading the league with a 92.5 free-throw percentage. It’s no coincidence that the Warriors won the championship that year.</p><p>Poole played well again the following season despite the drama, averaging 20.4 points and 4.5 assists across 30 minutes a game while appearing in all 82 regular-season contests. It was clear at this point that the talented showman’s trajectory was going up.</p><p>Poole getting traded from a contender to a losing team as a punishment for being egotistical is one way to spin the narrative, but what does it matter? The NBA is a business, and organizations are more worried about winning than settling petty scores with young and ascending players.</p><p>While Golden State’s brass may have favored the well-established Green over Poole, it didn’t ship out the latter hooper for nothing. The Warriors didn’t trade him until they felt they could get a valuable return, which turned out to be 12-time All-Star Chris Paul.</p><p>Nowadays, “Point Poole” is flourishing in Washington. The 25-year-old is having a career year running the Wizards’ offense, averaging 20.3 points and 5.1 assists with a 43.4% clip from the field and 39.2% from deep. While the Pritchard incident wasn’t his finest moment, it’s nothing compared to how much he’s helped the team, as he leads in points, assists, and steals (1.7 per game). His efficient shooting and consistent facilitation show growth, as his assist and three-point shooting averages are both career-highs.</p><p>Additionally, it’s not a revelation to point out that a rebuilding organization sports a subpar record recently. While Washington isn’t winning many games right now, Poole is leading a young group that has shown promise, and these games are important for its development. Moments like Bilal Coulibaly shutting down the league’s best players on the perimeter or Alex Sarr constantly blocking shots show that the reps are paying off.</p><p>Conflating Poole’s Warriors era with the Pritchard incident doesn’t hold much weight once considering his body of work in the nation’s capital thus far. However, “barbershop talk” will always be popular, and these types of narratives are par for the course.</p><p>Poole, though, has bigger fish to fry as he reaches his prime.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Jordan Poole laughs off Stephen A. Smith’s diss as ‘barbershop talk’

<!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-rumors-wizards-jordan-poole-gets-trade-interest-from-serious-title-contender');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: Wizards’ Jordan Poole gets trade interest from serious title contender');   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/2024/12/NBA-rumors-Wizards-Jordan-Poole-gets-trade-interest-from-serious-title-contender.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA rumors: Wizards’ Jordan Poole gets trade interest from serious title contender</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T21:24:51-08:00">December 17th, 9:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T21:24:51-08:00">December 17th, 9:24pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s only a matter of time before the Washington Wizards become active once again on the trade market. Their team is going nowhere fast, and they still have a few veterans that could net them some quality assets moving forward amid their pivot to a youth movement. And perhaps <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt">Jordan Poole could find himself on the move</a> later on this season after bouncing back from his debut season in the nation’s capital.</p><p>Poole has a history of contributing to a title-winning team (with the Golden State Warriors in 2022), so it should not come as a surprise that he is drawing some trade interest from a team with lofty ambitions of winning a championship. And according to Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Denver Nuggets are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6002502/2024/12/17/zach-lavine-trade-rumors-nuggets/" rel="noopener">casting a wide net</a> in their search for a roster upgrade, and that now includes the polarizing Wizards guard.</p><p>It looks as though the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nuggets-targeting-zach-lavine-trade-to-pair-with-nikola-jokic">Nuggets’ main target on the trade market</a> might be Chicago Bulls wing Zach LaVine, although finding any trade will require Denver to give up on Michael Porter Jr., a valued member of the roster. But if the Bulls trade LaVine elsewhere or the two teams can’t work on constructing an agreeable deal, then the Wizards guard could be a legitimate alternative.</p><p>If there’s anything the Nuggets are in dire need of, it’s additional shot creation from the perimeter. Only Jamal Murray consistently provides that skillset for them at the moment, with Julian Strawther providing that in spurts, and if there’s anything Poole specializes in, it’s providing an additional offensive punch.</p><p>Poole is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha">currently averaging 20.3 points per game</a> on a career-best 39.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc for this season. He is in the second year of the four-year, $128 million contract he signed with the Warriors in 2022.</p><h2><b>Nuggets cast a wide net in the trade market in search of an upgrade (or two)</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-Wizards.jpg"><figcaption>Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In addition to identifying Wizards guard Jordan Poole as a potential trade target, the Nuggets’ gears have been turning, as they have also looked into the possibility of bringing in Jordan Clarkson, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Johnson, and even Jonas Valanciunas.</p><p>The Nuggets badly need additional frontcourt depth in addition to more perimeter scoring, and perhaps they could swing a trade with the Wizards that takes care of two birds with one stone, bringing in both Poole and Valanciunas. A trade package built around Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji could be a worthwhile starting point in talks between the two teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: Wizards’ Jordan Poole gets trade interest from serious title contender

<!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', '/wizards-news-stephen-a-smith-blasts-jordan-poole-failed-payton-pritchard-taunt');   ga('set', 'title', 'Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt');   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/2024/12/Stephen-A.-Smith-blasts-Jordan-Poole-for-failed-Payton-Pritchard-taunt.jpg"></figure><h1>Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-17T11:05:36-08:00">December 17th, 11:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-17T18:28:13-08:00">December 17th, 6:28pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole has been under the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons, and this time, it’s courtesy of Stephen A Smith. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics">Poole tried to taunt Payton Pritchard,</a> and it completely backfired. On Tuesday’s edition of First Take, the ESPN host had <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1869063323779744174" rel="noopener">some harsh comments</a> for Poole after his failed taunt on Pritchard. </p><p>“Gone from a champion [in the Warriors] to a [Wizards] team that since he has arrived is 18-88,” Smith said. “Seventy games under .500, but you showboated. That’s why his a*s is in the nation’s capital.”</p><p>Smith isn’t wrong about the Wizards’ abysmal record. However, it has more to do with who’s around Poole than his production itself.</p><p>Although he was a part of the 2022 Golden State Warriors championship squad, he is still a young player. Poole knocked down some tough shots and even helped the Warriors win a game. Regardless, an incident with Draymond Green the next season limited any success.</p><p>Fast-forward, and he’s officially in the Nation’s Capital for the 2023-24 campaign. It was a rocky season, to say the least.</p><p>Going from a title-contending team to a rebuilding one is tough for any player. However, Smith expected more of a leadership role from the Wizards guard. Although <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha">Poole is embracing the alpha leader role for the Wizards</a>, he thinks it should’ve happened sooner.</p><h2><b>Stephen A Smith’s criticism of Jordan Poole’s taunt reveals youth of Wizards</b></h2><p>Again, Smith’s comments are rough because of his expectations of Poole. Being on a championship team means learning and implementing a championship standard. While it’s tough to do in DC, it’s still a skill that he knows. Establishing quality habits, regardless of performance, is pivotal for a rebuilding team. After all, the Wizards extended Poole in the 2024 offseason.</p><p>They have an extremely young team with at least six players having four seasons or fewer of NBA experience. Not to mention, their head coach is in his first full season. There hasn’t been much improvement, but they have some accomplishments to hang their hats on. For example, the Wizards defeated the Denver Nuggets at home despite Nikola Jokic dropping 56 points in the loss.</p><p>However, there’s much of the season left. While the Wizards are likely not competing for a playoff spot, their pride could be on the line. A <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2025.html" rel="noopener">3-21 record isn’t satisfying</a> unless you’re aiming for the No. 1 pick. If that’s the case, then they’re doing a good job. In the meantime, they’ll look to hopefully build consistent habits but not the ones that Poole demonstrated.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Stephen A. Smith blasts Wizards’ Jordan Poole for failed Payton Pritchard taunt

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-viral-epic-trash-talk-fail-payton-pritchard-celtics');   ga('set', 'title', 'Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral for epic trash-talk fail vs. Payton Pritchard, Celtics');   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/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-goes-viral-for-epic-trash-talk-fail-vs.-Payton-Pritchard-Celtics.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral for epic trash-talk fail vs. Payton Pritchard, Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-16T07:36:22-08:00">December 16th, 7:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-16T22:59:52-08:00">December 16th, 10:59pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sometimes, <a href="https://x.com/GregFinberg/status/1868455603078885460" rel="noopener">trash talk can backfire</a>, as was the case for Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole when he was going against Payton Pritchard and the Boston Celtics. The Wizards’ cornerstone hit Pritchard with a gnarly crossover but took too much time celebrating to get off a shot. As a result, he swung the ball around and didn’t take advantage of the spacing on the floor.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>That move has been a synopsis of Washington’s season thus far. The 3-21 record isn’t appealing, to say the least. However, the Wizards pulled off a monumental win against the Denver Nuggets despite Nikola Jokic dropping 56 points. Still, this moment by Poole highlights the disastrous season. Although the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-historically-pathetic-start-being-addressed">Wizards are addressing their pathetic start</a> to the season, it doesn’t explain moments like these.</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole’s viral moment defines the Wizards season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Warriors-guard-Stephen-Curry-30-shoots-the-ball-over-Washington-Wizards-guard-Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The 3-21 squad has had little to celebrate this season. Although they’re a very young team, losing 16 games in a row isn’t something to be optimistic about. After all, 11 of their players have four years or less of NBA experience. That isn’t a good recipe for consistent habits, at least right now. Not to mention, their <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2025.html" rel="noopener">defense is the worst in the league</a>, allowing 123 points per game.</p><p>The offense has been there, but the defense is nonexistent. In their 112-98 loss to the Celtics, they proved that they can hang with a contending team. Despite Boston having an elite offense, Washington gave them a problem. Luckily, this game was a step in the right direction. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha">Poole expressed a desire to be the Wizards’ alpha</a>. However, plays like that will turn teammates and coaches off.</p><p>For Poole, that’s part of his game. Ever since he was with the Golden State Warriors, he’s shown a flashy element to his game. Whether it’s good or bad is the big question. If he can balance the two, then Washington will be in good hands for as long as Poole is with the team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Jordan Poole goes viral for epic trash-talk fail vs. Payton Pritchard, Celtics

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-delivers-intriguing-take-desire-washington-alpha');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jordan Poole delivers intriguing take on desire to be Wizards’ alpha');   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/2024/12/Jordan-Poole-delivers-intriguing-take-on-desire-to-be-Washingtons-alpha.jpg"></figure><h1>Jordan Poole delivers intriguing take on desire to be Wizards’ alpha</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-08T07:59:41-08:00">December 8th, 7:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-08T07:59:41-08:00">December 8th, 7:59am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-wizards-verge-brutal-franchise-record-after-loss-mavericks">Wizards had one of the worst months</a> of any team so far this season, losing all of their games in November. They put that month behind them to start December as they were able to defeat the Denver Nuggets 122-113.</p><p>One of the biggest reasons for their win was Jordan Poole, who finished with 39 points, shooting 12-of-26 from the field and 9-of-20 from three. After the game, Poole was asked if it was time for the Wizards to give him the keys to the team, and he <a href="https://x.com/lockedonwizards/status/1865593941233483843" rel="noopener">had a great response</a>, according to Locked On Wizards.</p><p>“Yes, it is. I want to lead this team; I thrive on making [us] better,” the account wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2>Jordan Poole makes franchise history vs. Nuggets</h2><p>With Jordan Poole’s stat line against the Nuggets, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-franchise-history-overpower-nikola-jokic-nuggets">became the first player in franchise history</a> to post those numbers.</p><p>In his second season with the Wizards, Poole has looked better and is in more control of the offense since he was moved to take over the point guard duties. Though he may still be young, Poole has a lot of experience after spending the beginning of his career with the Golden State Warriors and winning a championship.</p><p>With rumors of the Wizards looking to trade Kyle Kuzma, there’s a chance that Poole could have the keys to the team for the foreseeable future. The Wizards have a core group of young players that they’ll build around, and if their development goes well, this could be a team that gets back to doing positive things on the floor for years to come.</p><p>Beating a team like the Nuggets can be a big confidence booster, and it shows that they’re doing something right with their development. Hopefully, a win early in the month of December can help them finish out the year strong.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jordan Poole delivers intriguing take on desire to be Wizards’ alpha

<!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', '/wizards-news-jordan-poole-franchise-history-overpower-nikola-jokic-nuggets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jordan Poole makes franchise history to overpower Nikola Jokic, Nuggets');   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/2024/12/Wizards-news-Jordan-Poole-preaches-patience-amid-Washingtons-brutal-skid.jpg"></figure><h1>Jordan Poole makes franchise history to overpower Nikola Jokic, Nuggets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-07T20:00:25-08:00">December 7th, 8:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-07T20:00:25-08:00">December 7th, 8:00pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-kyle-kuzma-injury-woes-concerning-update-13-game-losing-streak-2">Wizards haven’t had much to cheer about this season</a>. They hold the worst record in the NBA so far at 3-18. Coming into their matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the Wizards were on a 16 game losing streak. But all it took was a little bit of Wizards franchise history from Jordan Poole to snap the streak.</p><p>The Wizards got a 122-113 win over the Nuggets behind Jordan Poole’s <a href="https://x.com/StatMamba/status/1865585829566968161" rel="noopener">history-making stat-line</a> of 39 points eight assists and nine made three-point shots, as per StatMamba. Nobody in franchise history has put up those numbers before.</p><p>The nine three-pointers were a career-high for Poole. Overall, he finished with 39 points, five rebounds and eight assists. He shot 12-0f-26 from the field, 9-of-20 from the three-point line and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.</p><p>Poole had a so-so season last year, his first with the Wizards, following an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-jordan-poole-breaks-silence-on-golden-state-wizards-trade">offseason trade with the Golden State Warrior</a>s. This season, although the Wizards have been tops in the sweepstakes for the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Poole’s play has rebounded a bit.</p><p>This season, he’s appeared in 18 games, at a little over 29 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 20.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals with splits of 43.6 percent shooting from the field, 40.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.6 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Poole’s three-point percentage of 40.6 percent is a career-high. He’s averaging around 7.4 attempts from three-point range, which is the third-highest mark in his career. With the exception of his rookie year in 2019-20, Poole has been a double digit scorer in the NBA.</p><p>The former No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Warriors, Poole was a key contributor during Golden State’s 2022 championship run. He is in the second year of a four-year contract extension he signed with the Warriors prior to the trade.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jordan Poole makes franchise history to overpower Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

<!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', '/wizards-news-lou-williams-scorched-earth-jordan-poole-kyle-kuzma-washington-slump');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lou Williams goes scorched earth on Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma amid Wizards’ slump');   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/2024/12/Lou-Williams-goes-scorched-earth-on-Jordan-PooleKyle-Kuzma-amid-Washington-slump.jpg"></figure><h1>Lou Williams goes scorched earth on Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma amid Wizards’ slump</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-03T09:52:53-08:00">December 3rd, 9:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-03T09:52:53-08:00">December 3rd, 9:52am</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">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the joys of being a sports fan is playing armchair GM, especially for a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-brian-keefe-plans-emulate-celtics-success-rebuild">rebuilding team like the Washington Wizards</a>. Anybody can have opinions about what the organization should do to get back to contention, but three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams isn’t just anybody.</p><p>That’s <a href="https://twitter.com/runitbackfdtv/status/1863633790024785945?s=46" rel="noopener">why his comments</a> on Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma got attention online on Tuesday, via FanDuel TV.</p><p>https://twitter.com/runitbackfdtv/status/1863633790024785945?s=46</p><p>“Keep the two young guys [Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr], because those are building blocks. You realize now that your guys that are the young vets of the team, it’s just not working,” Williams explained. “Maybe they’re not ready or poised to be in a leadership position where they can lead the franchise into wins.”</p><p>Both players have constructively criticized the team in interviews this season, while also preaching patience and complimenting the locker room’s mental toughness. They also lead the team in scoring, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wizards-news-jordan-poole-credits-washington-ball-movement-hot-shooting-start">Poole averaging 21 points per game</a> on 44.8% shooting, and Kuzma with 15.8 points on 42% shooting. Poole also leads with 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals.</p><p>Regardless, Williams isn’t impressed.</p><p>“People can feel the way they feel about what I’m saying, it’s in the numbers. 0-14 in the month of November, like, there’s no bright spots. You don’t hold your tongue about that,” the 38-year-old continued. “These guys are better off being second or third options somewhere else. Very talented guys, but they’re not ready to lead an organization, and it shows in the play. Not only this season, but last season as well, both the same.”</p><p>Is Williams right, or is he not in tune with Washington?</p><h2><b>Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma’s leadership isn’t harming Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jordan-Poole.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It makes sense why Williams said what he said. Kuzma has yet to find his rhythym this season as he’s battled injuries, and his scoring average is the second-lowest of his career. At 29 years old, he could be re-energized by a change of scenery and the potential for immediate playoff success as he chases his second NBA championship.</p><p>The 25-year-old Poole, on the other hand, could be a second option on a title contender right now as he enters his prime. The former Golden State Warrior is having a career year running Washington’s offense at point guard after previously playing shooting guard. He’s become a consistent threat from deep, as his 42.1% three-point clip is 8.1% above his career average, and currently ranks 36th in the league.</p><p>Fans want instant gratification. As a neutral observer, why wouldn’t Williams want to see these two play on playoff teams?</p><p>However, the reality is that the Wizards need capable veterans to lead their young “building blocks.” The young players are the franchise’s future, but the veterans lead by example on and off the court, which helps their development.</p><p>A good <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5954533/2024/11/28/washington-wizards-losing-streak/" rel="noopener">off-the-court example</a> is Poole’s comments after Washington’s 121-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on November 27th, via The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.</p><p>“All it takes is one thing to bring everything together,” the Michigan alum said. “But moments like this really show who loves the game, who wants to continue to work, who wants to continue to find ways to get better, who wants to get in the lab, who wants to watch film. So, it definitely tests your character, but we’ve got really good guys in that locker room.”</p><p>That type of encouragement from a former NBA champion is what young players need during trying times. Williams may have a point about Poole and Kuzma’s capablity of helping contenders, but Washington must have these types of veterans.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
21.8	2.7	4.9	0.5	1.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
21.8	2.7	4.9	0.5	1.6

Jordan Poole news

Jordan
Poole news