The New Orleans Pelicans acquired Jordan Poole in a swap with the Washington Wizards that shipped away CJ McCollum, and it could be the move that finally helps the team reach its offensive ceiling.
Former Pelicans big man Jason Smith recently joined a local WDSU broadcast to give some insight on what Poole can bring to New Orleans.
Smith spent 11 years in the NBA. He joined the then-Hornets squad back in 2010 and spent four years there. He also ended his career in New Orleans with a short stint in 2019. Now, though, he is a broadcaster for the Wizards and carries a deep knowledge of what Poole brings to the court.
"[Poole] can bring the ball up, he can get guys involved, he can score the ball, he shoots basically unlimited range," said Smith about what the guard can bring to the court.
The 26-year-old is coming off his best offensive season in the NBA. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds a night as the centerpiece of Washington's attack. It was a much-needed confidence-building campaign after the disappointment of his first year there.
The biggest change that he will bring from McCollum is a much faster pace. Poole will keep things going. New Orleans was actually one of the better fast-break teams last year, and they should only improve with their new point guard.
Smith was also really excited about the idea of Poole getting the chance to play with a player of Williamson's level. It is the kind of presence that the guard has not had in the paint throughout his career.
Poole was lethal from deep last year. He shot 9.1 per game and on 37.8% from the field. That's an improvement from McCollum's already strong numbers. Keeping that production from deep while also adding a deeper bag from other spots on the court should open things up for everything.
"If he's going to go out there and be effective, he's going to be getting that ball to Zion [Williamson], he's going to be attacking the basket in transition. He's a very phenomenal player in the right circumstance. And for the fact that you guys have [Williamson], there's gonna be a ton of lobs from Poole. And I think that you're gonna be very, very excited to have him on your team," said the broadcaster.
Willie Green has the chance to put all of his players in better spots to succeed than they have ever seen before.
When Poole is on, he creates a ton of gravity. That will open things up for Williamson in the paint, but also Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones as well.
There is a always chance that they don't figure it out and the operation ends up clunkier than ever. Poole is a high-risk, high-reward type of player, but one doesn't need to look for long to see what could be exciting about this pairing.