If there’s one thing that should be carried from the New Orleans Pelicans’ first two preseason games into their third, it’s that the starting lineup should see another shakeup. Jamahl Mosley has experimented with two different starting fives, and if he is to shake up the starting unit on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks, Jordan Poole should draw in.
JP’s first season in New Orleans didn’t go according to plan. Coming off a career year with the Wizards, expectations were high and it felt like he could really change the team's outlook as a plus floor spacer and shot-creating guard. But a combination of things, some of which were completely out of his control, made year one in New Orleans a disaster, and by the end it resulted in a ton of DNPs. Going into the offseason, it felt like Poole’s Pelicans experiment could be over after one season, but Joe Dumars and company opted to hold onto him and bank on a major bounce-back.
His heart didn’t really seem to be in it last season, but Mosley’s arrival seems to have helped Poole buy into contributing to the Pelicans’ winning this season. He’s off to a hot start this preseason, and his floor spacing would be a valuable tool for New Orleans' starting group.
JP deserves to start
Poole getting his confidence back is huge for this team, but the changes he’s appeared to make through two games are also super encouraging.
Don’t get me wrong, JP is never going to be some elite stopper defensively, but through two games his discipline and connectivity on that end have been much improved. On top of that, he has looked so patient and calculated when making decisions as both a playmaker and scorer through these two games. He isn’t chucking up shots three seconds into the shot clock like he did in the past, and he isn’t blowing up actions when he sees an opening to shoot.
His offensive maturity and defensive discipline warrant giving him a start to see whether he can sustain those improvements in a bigger role.
Assuming Dejounte Murray plays Wednesday after sitting out against Miami, Mosley should place Poole in the backcourt with him. In the 14 games he played last season, Murray reminded everyone how good a creator and playmaker he can be, and pairing him with another shooter would be great.
The same can be said for the impact Poole’s addition to the starting lineup could have on Zion Williamson. Z is at his best when he has room to operate and can punish defenses that send two at him by kicking out to an open man. Outside of Trey Murphy III, he doesn’t really have any reliable outside threats in the starting five, but Poole’s track record and perimeter shooting this preseason suggest he could be.
Over his career, Poole is a 34.4 percent three-point shooter on 7.2 attempts per game, and he’s shot 3-of-5 from three through two preseason games.
Poole was heavily criticized last season for his defense, decision-making, shot selection, and consistency, none of which seem to be problems in the first two preseason games. Obviously, he needs to keep producing like this before we can say Poole is back to being a winning basketball player. But the whole point of preseason is to see how players fit, and if anyone deserves to get their chance to start in the Pelicans' next game, the answer has to be Jordan Poole.
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