Jordan Poole is taking it upon himself to become a leader on a young Washington Wizards team.
After four seasons with the Warriors, where he played alongside established leaders like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, Poole was traded to Washington this offseason in exchange for veteran guard Chris Paul.
The 24-year-old now finds himself in a leadership role with the Wizards and according to a recent feature story from The Ringer's Logan Murdock, Poole took to the internet in an effort to improve as a team leader this offseason.
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Murdock wrote that Poole began watching Navy SEAL training videos online over the summer and studied how admirals go about leading their troops into battle before he and veteran teammate Kyle Kuzma led a minicamp with the team at the Wizards facility.
“I feel like I personally am the right person,” Poole told Murdock of his leadership role. “In terms of personality, authenticity, positive energy, God-fearing, right? These are the things that you need to get a city behind you. I’m also invested, right? I’m here. I want to be here. I can get everybody else to want to be here. I want to see people come to the games. I want to interact with the fans. I want to interact with the youth.”
Of course, watching military training videos on YouTube only can get you so far. Fortunately for Poole, he has plenty of knowledge to pass along from his time with the Warriors and hopes it can help him lead the Wizards back to playoff contention.
“Not a lot of people can get their own team at such a young age,” Poole said. “And I learned at the highest level, now I can apply that. Really turn the city around and get something exciting."
Golden State Warriors
Having grown up a Bucks fan in Milwaukee, WI, Poole witnessed firsthand how long it can take to turn a franchise around and understands the process.
“I saw what it was like before what it is now,” Poole said of the Bucks. “There has to be a process where you start to build something great, and it’s cool to be able to be here when it starts. And now we have the chance to do something so special. If you are a competitor, you love challenges.”
Poole experienced plenty of highs and lows with the Warriors and although it didn't work out in the Bay Area, his successes and failures could help him become the leader he hopes to be on a hungry Wizards team.