Kerr and Klay strongly defend JP after late turnover against Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Warriors coach Steve Kerr doesn’t blame Jordan Poole after Golden State’s 122-119 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday at Chase Center ended the team’s five-game winning streak.
Poole had the ball in his hands with 13.2 seconds left in the game as the Warriors trailed 117-116 and looked to take the lead. However, the 23-year-old attempted a crossover on Alec Burks, only for the veteran to push the ball for the turnover.
Despite the turnover, Kerr defended Poole, believing the turnover is an incident that Michigan’s product can learn from for future situations.
“[Poole is] also hit some huge shots for us,” Kerr told reporters after the loss. “He had two big jumpers in the stretch, and Jordan made so many big plays for us and helped us win so many games. . But what’s great is that everything is a learning experience for him, you know, at this point in his career.
“And he gets a lot of, you know, experience in the late game, and, you know, he made the only mistake, but like I said, he made two big shots right before that, and you know , I thought I played really well and played hard the whole game.”
Klay Thompson also noted that it wasn’t a mistake that Poole had the ball in his hands in that late-game situation against the Pistons.
“I told him in the locker room that there’s a reason I threw the ball at him towards the end of regulation, it’s because he’s like that; he’s a clutch player,” Thompson told reporters after the game. “He’s a plan maker, and we wouldn’t have been on this winning streak without him.
“So I know we all go through these lapses at the start of our careers… We’re going to keep trusting him with the ball in our hands because he’s like an engine that keeps us going.”
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Golden State is counting on Poole to take the next step in its development. As a result, he will have to learn to put the error behind him when the Warriors face the Orlando Magic on Saturday at Chase Center.
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