Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors need an offensive catalyst to help keep the boat afloat.

Stephen Curry is still a ways away from coming back from his shoulder injury, and you don’t have to be a basketball savant to realize that the Warriors don’t stand a chance without him in the playoffs.

That’s why watching Jordan Poole blossom and dominate in the win over the Charlotte Hornets was so great for the Dubs.

Poole was on his bag all night long, but he really took things to a whole new level late in the matchup, earning high praise from his coach:

“Jordan closed the game well with a couple spin moves and layups and found JK [Jonathan Kuminga] for a dunk on one,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We need his ability to break the defense down and create offense for us and he did a good job of that tonight.”

The Warriors made a huge financial commitment to Poole in the offseason.

They thanked him for being such a pivotal piece of their championship run last season, and it’s evident that they see him as a cornerstone to build their future.

But Poole has struggled with inconsistency throughout the whole campaign, playing way better with the second unit than when he’s not starting.

That was once again at a full display last night.

He was inspired and pulled off some nice moves of his deep bag, even putting Mason Plumlee on skates late in the game with one of the most beautiful moves of the evening.

Poole finished the evening with 24 points and 6 assists, proving that he can help the Dubs hold the fort while Curry is out.

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