The New Orleans Pelicans have been busy reworking their disappointing offense to try a different approach in 2025.

One of the biggest moves that new president of basketball operations Joe Dumars made this past offseason was swapping out CJ McCollum at guard for Washington Wizards star Jordan Poole.

Poole has gone through waves of being “the next big thing” to “overrated” to even being “underrated.” Can he find some stability in his career, now with his third NBA team?

Here is an overview of where Poole stands heading into 2025:

Basic Overview of His Career

The 26-year-old was the No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 draft by the Golden State Warriors. The first two years he was in the NBA, he was mostly just a complementary shooter coming off of the Warriors bench.

The last time he really took a leap in his career was in 2022 when he played an important role in an NBA finals championship. He was the third/fourth option in the offense that year and averaged 18.5 points per game.

He has never been the most efficient scorer, but plays fast and can hit his free throws. With the Wizards he got the opportunity to be the leading man, but never really improved past the streaky offensive threat he has been throughout his career.

What Did He Do Well Last Year?

His first year in Washington was pretty poor. His confidence could have been shot after being traded away from Golden State after being punched by Draymond Green, but whatever the case, he looked pretty bad.

To his credit, he bounced back and had solid campaign in 2025. It was the best playmaking season of his career, hit career-high percent of this threes and performed better in fast-break/turnover scenarios.

What Does He Need To Do Better in 2025?

Poole needs to be able to attack the paint more. A career-low percentage of his points came from the paint last season. He’s such an efficient free throw shooter, that he should lean into that and try to draw more contract.

He scored in the paint at near a career-low rate, but shot the second most free throws per game last season. If he can continue to shoot near 40% from three while also drawing more contact, he should be able to take that next step into All-Star territory.

The former Michigan Wolverine could also get back to playing a bit more defense. That breakout 2022 campaign saw him play the best defense of his career. While he’s never been necessarily elite, the effort has clearly dropped ever since leaving the Warriors.