Jordan Poole's rough first Washington Wizards season took another turn for the worse Thursday when he was removed from the starting lineup ahead of their game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
In the Wizards' first game out of the All-Star break, interim coach Brian Keefe made the decision to bring the former Warriors guard off the bench for the first time this season.
Keefe inserted guard Bilal Coulibaly into the starting lineup, though Poole was the first Wizard to sub into the game midway through the first quarter.
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After a surprising offseason trade from the Warriors to the Wizards, Poole has struggled to regain the form he had in Golden State the last two seasons.
Entering Thursday's game, Poole is averaging 15.6 points on 40-percent shooting from the field and 30.3 percent from 3-point range.
Poole's season progressively has gotten worse by the month, with the 24-year-old averaging just 10.3 points per game in seven previous February contests.
Golden State Warriors
While being removed from the starting lineup might be rock bottom in Poole's mind, his performance in the Wizards' Feb. 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers likely was the low point of his season. In 25 minutes, he fouled out after going 0 of 5 from the field and failing to score.
Poole was an integral part of the Warriors' 2021-22 NBA championship team and looked like he was on the trajectory to becoming an All-Star. But a preseason altercation in which he was punched by veteran forward Draymond Green changed the dynamic.
Still, Golden State rewarded Poole with a new four-year, $128 million contract before the 2022-23 season, but he took a slight step back and was traded to Washington for Chris Paul last summer.
The Wizards, 9-45 entering Thursday's game, have Poole under contract for three more seasons as $29.6 million, $31.8 million and $34 million. He's their highest paid player, so if he can't figure things out, he might become a burden on the franchise as they try to rebuild.