Michigan Basketball: Jordan Poole shines again as Warriors win

Former Michigan basketball star Jordan Poole’s incredible run in the NBA playoffs continued on Thursday as he scored 27 points in the Warriors’ Game 3 win over Denver. 

How fun has it been to watch Jordan Poole during these NBA playoffs?

In what was just his third career NBA playoff game, for the second time in three games, Poole scored a team-high as he poured in 27 points (a number matched by Steph Curry) in the Warriors four-point win over Denver.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that people questioned why Poole left Michigan basketball for the NBA draft following the 2018-19 season but this is why. He always had incredible talent and now that he’s been able to develop it in Golden State, he’s realizing his full potential.

Even though he comes off the bench, Curry is still the guy on this team but Poole is one of the guys that Steve Kerr trusts to close things out and he made some huge plays down the stretch, such as the key assist to Andrew Wiggins for an open trey or the nifty move he made when Golden State needed a bucket up by just one.

Poole was known for jacking up errant 3-pointers at Michigan basketball but his efficiency has been off the charts and he was outstanding again on Thursday, making 9-of-13 attempts and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Jordan Poole’s playoff numbers are crazy

Down the stretch, while Curry was healing, Poole went nuts and had at least 20 points in 17 consecutive games at one point. Now, he’s scored at least 20 in 23 of his last 25 outings.

In three playoff games, the former Michigan basketball star is averaging 28.7 points per game, while shooting 66 percent from the field, 60 percent from three, as well as 81 percent from the line. He’s attempted 22 treys this series (over 7 per game) and made 60 percent. That’s insane.

And it’s one of the biggest reasons why Golden State is up 3-0. People didn’t expect it at the start of the season, but with Poole, Curry, and Klay Thompson, the Warriors have a new big three forming plus a lot of other championship pieces (Green, Wiggins, Iggy) so don’t be surprised to see them make a very serious run at winning a fourth NBA championship.