JP’s filthy move vs. Lakers sparked amusing Dubs bench debate originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Jordan Poole’s hypnotic moves against the Los Angeles Lakers wowed the Chase Center crowd on Sunday night as well as his teammates sitting on the Warriors’ bench.
But it turns out Poole’s Golden State companions might not have been entirely sold on the legality of his behind-the-back maneuver late in the third quarter, center Kevon Looney joked after the team’s 124-121 preseason loss.
“[Poole] knows he’s got to do a little bit something different,” Looney said. “I’ve been avoiding playing one-on-one with him because he’s got a lot better … We debated if [the move] was a travel or not, but they didn’t call it, so I guess it wasn’t.”
Poole’s impressive move was part of an electric third quarter for the young guard, where he poured in 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
The sequence featured a fluid Poole dancing his way past Lakers forward Matt Ryan and into the key, losing help defender Cole Swider by way of the behind-the-back shift and dropping in a floater.
Kevin Durant shared his Poole appreciation on Twitter after the play, but Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala was less convinced.
“At first [Iguodala] said it was cold, but when he saw the film, he was like, ‘Eh,’ ” Looney said of Iguodala questioning whether or not Poole traveled.
And apparently, it wasn’t the first time Poole’s teammates have seen the move.
“We had a ref in the scrimmage say it was something called a ‘zero step,’ ” Looney said, laughing. “… That’s exactly what we said, ‘Can you describe that for us?’ Refs, that’s the reason you get paid. They know the rules better than we do.”
After a stressful week for Poole, who was at the center of controversy after teammate Draymond Green punched him in the face during practice on Wednesday, the 23-year-old played 23 minutes in the loss and finished with a team-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-9 from behind the 3-point line and a team-high six assists.
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With how close this Warriors squad is, it’s no surprise Poole’s teammates were giving him a hard time about his possible travel.
And based on how Poole played Sunday, it’s clear he hasn’t been bothered by the outside noise this week as he looks to put on a similar show during the upcoming season — where the bench will be watching his every move.