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Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Golden State Warriors. Spending some time in the G League while in Golden State's organization, Poole eventually developed into a valuable rotation piece who helped the Warriors win an NBA championship in 2022.
Traded to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul in July, 2023, Poole began a new chapter of his NBA career. Since arriving in Washington, Poole has appeared in 110 games, posting averages of 18.5 points and 4.5 assists.
Many wonder what the Warriors would look like now had they never traded Poole, and that is something Steve Kerr was asked about prior to Saturday’s game against the Wizards.
“I don’t spend a whole lot of time doing that stuff,” Kerr said when asked about the hypothetical scenario where Poole is still in Golden State. “The NBA is a business where people are coming and going all the time. You can’t spend too much time with that.”
Kerr added, “I will say that I root for Jordan, I love Jordan, and always love seeing him. I want nothing but the best for him and the rest of his career. He deserves it.”
Steve Kerr was asked if he ever thinks about what it would have been like if Jordan Poole had stayed with the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/SxnLpjVy5T
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 19, 2025
Poole was an integral piece to Golden State’s 2022 NBA championship run. Averaging 17.0 points on 50.8% shooting that postseason, Poole helped Golden State win its fourth title of this era.
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Nikola Jokic on the cusp of a streak never achieved in 79-year NBA history
Nikola Jokic on Wednesday became the third player ever to start a season with four consecutive triple-doubles, joining Oscar Robertson (1961-62) and Russell Westbrook (2020-21) in exclusive company. If the Denver Nuggets star can make it five in a row against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, he'll achieve a streak never recorded in the 79-year history of the NBA, per the Associated Press. Nikola Jokic on pace to eclipse the Big O Jokic recorded the 168th triple-double of his career on Wednesday, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the Nuggets' 122-88 blowout victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Serbian star is just 13 shy of tying Robertson for second on the leaderboard and 35 away from equaling Westbrook, the all-time leader. Unless he suffers an injury, Jokic is a lock to surpass "The Big O" this season, considering he amassed a career-high 34 last season. It also doesn't seem far-fetched for Jokic to tie or surpass Westbrook's record of 203 triple-doubles this season. For one, Westbrook, who has assumed a bench role with the Sacramento Kings, won't put up the gaudy numbers he did during his prime with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Furthermore, Jokic's recent career progression suggests a steady increase in the number of triple-doubles year-over-year. Nikola Jokic's rapid-fire triple-doubles Jokic had only 16 triple-doubles when he won his first MVP in 2020-21, a number that rose to 19 when he clinched his second Michael Jordan Trophy the following season. That total increased to 25 when he earned his third MVP in 2023-24, and then to 34 last year, when he became the first center ever to average a triple-double for a season. If the recent trend is any indication, Jokic will likely accumulate at least 40 triple-doubles this season, making him the all-time leader. Another remarkable trend in Jokic's triple-doubles is the rapidity with which he gets them. On Wednesday, he sat out the fourth quarter, marking the 17th time in his career when he reached a triple-double mark while logging less than 30 minutes. According to the NBA, Jokic leads both Robertson and Westbrook for most such games. Jokic similarly had more triple-doubles within three quarters than the entire NBA combined last season. And that was when the Nuggets had questionable depth, leading to the firing of head coach Michael Malone. This season, Denver is significantly better, giving Jokic many more chances to record triple-doubles and sit out the fourth quarter.
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage is already making the rest of MLB look foolish for passing on him
The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans witnessed something special on Wednesday night. It doesn’t get much better than a convincing 6-1 Game 5 win to take a 3-2 lead over the superteam Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Heading back home with the chance to win a championship at the Rogers Centre was what truly mattered for the Blue Jays; however, the way it all played out in such a pivotal game at Dodger Stadium will go down in history. Starting pitcher Trey Yesavage was untouchable, throwing seven dominant innings where he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out 12. Those 12 punchouts set the rookie record for the most ever in a World Series game. Seven of them came against the heart of the order in Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. His one-of-a-kind splitter had them fooled from start to finish. Yesavage’s ridiculous rise from starting the year in Class-A Dunedin to carving up the best lineups in baseball in the postseason is unheard of. It makes you wonder how he fell all the way to the Blue Jays at pick No. 20 in the 2024 MLB Draft to begin with. Trey Yesavage has 18 teams regretting their decision While it’s still extremely early to be looking back on his draft class, what Yesavage has done these last few months can’t be replicated. A 22-year-old jumping onto a moving train with just three career MLB starts under his belt goes on to start five playoff games, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.46 ERA and a whopping 39 strikeouts. Those are the kinds of numbers you expect to see from Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, not a rookie with almost no big league experience. Nineteen different organizations let Yesavage slide down the draft board last July. At this point, the Athletics are the only ones who should feel alright about their decision, given that first baseman Nick Kurtz already looks like one of the best hitters in baseball. The 18 others look silly. While some of these prospects will certainly turn out to be good players, it’s safe to say that none of them will make this type of impact on the world’s biggest stage. If the Blue Jays can pull this off and win their third World Series title in franchise history, Yesavage will never have to buy another meal in Toronto again. Quite frankly, he’s been so good that he may not have to even if they don’t find a way to finish the job. No matter how this all ends, Yesavage has not only turned himself into a Toronto sports legend, but a Canadian sports legend. The city and country can't wait to see what else he has in store because if this postseason was any indication, then they are in for many more historic performances in the years to come.
Three teams that should pursue a trade for Titans WR Calvin Ridley
As the Tennessee Titans are free falling towards another season as one of the NFL's worst teams, they will likely sell off some of their higher priced players before the NFL's Nov. 4 trade deadline. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley tops the list of available players on the trade block even as he deals with a hamstring injury. Ridley's big play ability makes him an attractive option for teams looking to add another wide receiver. Even though he's been experiencing an up and down season so far - Ridley has only 16 receptions for 290 yards, he surpassed 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons following sitting out 2022 due to being suspended for betting. So assuming Ridley is healthy enough to remain a trade target, here are the teams that should take a chance on the controversial wide out. Pittsburgh Steelers Aaron Rodgers may have stabilized the Steelers' quarterback position, but that doesn't mean the offense is as consistent as it needs to be for Pittsburgh to truly contend in the AFC. Pittsburgh has only exceeded 30 points twice through seven games. Desperate to increase their offensive output, especially with the defense struggling, the Steelers could use more receiver depth behind DK Metcalf. Acquiring Ridley would provide Rodgers another weapon and make the decision to place double coverage on Metcalf more of a risk for opponents. If Ridley can get back to form, he would unlock an extra dimension for a Steelers team that still holds a comfortable lead in the AFC North. New England Patriots One of the surprising results of the season so far, the Patriots are 6-2 and in first place in the AFC East. But if New England truly hopes to make a playoff push, second-year quarterback Drake Maye may need more at his disposal. To this point, Maye has been forced to work without a true deep threat. And while he's been able to methodically move the ball, Ridley would make his life much easier and stretch the field even more. Seattle Seahawks Another first place team who could use another playmaker, the Seattle Seahawks' offense has started to show signs of weakness in recent weeks. Much like the Steelers, the Seahawks have a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for October. He's been brilliant with three-straight 100 plus-yard games. However, Seattle has only scored 30 points once in its last four games. Pairing Smith-Njigba with Ridley would make the Seahawks more potent as they approach a stretch of the schedule with pivotal divisional matchups coming up.
Dodgers' Mookie Betts opens up about his World Series struggles
Los Angeles Dodgers star shortstop Mookie Betts is coming off the worst offensive season of his 12-year career, hitting .258/.326/.406 with 20 home runs, posting career lows in all slash line metrics. Now in the postseason, the 2018 MVP is costing the Dodgers their shot at consecutive World Series titles. After a hot start, Betts is 15-for-64 in the playoffs. In the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, he is just 3-for-23 without an extra-base hit. So far, Betts is one of two Dodgers players with more than 11 at-bats and no home runs, the other being Andy Pages. When asked by reporters about his struggles after the Dodgers' Game 5 loss, Betts had this to say as reported by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic: “I don’t want to speak on anybody else. But for myself, I’ve just been terrible … “I wish it were from lack of effort. But it’s not. I mean, that’s all I can say.” Mookie Betts is leading the Dodgers towards their demise With their loss on Wednesday, the Dodgers are on the ropes, down 3-2, facing elimination in Toronto on Friday. Overall, the Los Angeles offense has gone through detrimental quiet spells in inopportune times, scoring three runs in the past two games. If we include parts of the 18-inning game on Monday, that’s four runs in 29 innings. These lulls have greatly harmed the team’s chances at winning the World Series this season. And while the Dodgers have more than their fair share of laggards, Betts plays a crucial role for the team. His spot towards the top of the batting order is nestled among his fellow MVPs and top-producers. But unlike the other top bats around him, Betts has only accounted for a total of one run, scoring no RBI in this World Series. Every time the Blue Jays walked Ohtani, they did so inconsequentially, experiencing no trouble from Betts hitting behind him. Needless to say, if the Dodgers are going to hop back into the driver’s seat, their offense will need to wake up. Los Angeles has seen success despite Betts’ slump; but with no room for error, this is an all-hands-on-deck situation, and they will more than likely need something from their star shortstop aside from his stellar defense.
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