Jordan Poole Praises Daryl Morey Treatment of James Harden Amid Harsh Admission on Stephen Curry’s Warriors

The 2023-2024 Regular Season is full of many compelling storylines. The young talent in the league is especially intriguing to watch. Fans to love to see who will hold the top-tier baton in the coming years. These top-tier youngsters have millions of eyeballs glued to them. Comparison with existing or past talent only puts more pressure on them to perform. But it is also a gateway to fuel their motivation. 

In one such instance, Jordan Poole has drawn a James Harden comparison. The comparison has many coalesces. 

Is Jordan Poole the next James Harden?

What made Harden’s Oklahoma City Thunder exit and Jordan Poole’s Golden State Warriors similar? Both were quick-scoring options off the bench. Both were buried in the limelight of superstars. After leaving such systems, both became the immediate first options for scoring at the guard position. For Harden, this change led to one MVP in 2018, besides 10 All-Star appearances and six All-NBA first-team. Garnett has already compared the former Warriors’ Sixth Man with the first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Poole also believes that his situation with the Washington Wizards is like what James Harden had with the Houston Rockets when Daryl Morey managed it. As per Monumental Sports Network, he stated, ”The team was behind him, the organization was behind him, the coaches were behind him. That gave him the trust and the confidence to go be him and be himself. That’s what is going on over here”. Finding similarity with his own situation, he added, ‘Coach Wes is allowing me to be aggressive, play my game, so are my teammates“.

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The Guard also admitted that if not for the decade-long supremacy of the Warriors, Harden might have had a title. He added, “S—, if he didn’t run into the Warriors one of those years he might have a ring.” During the 2017-18 season, the Rockets secured an NBA-best 65-17 record, thanks to the new arrival Chris Paul alongside Harden. This was the season when The Beard won the MVP too. The squad defeated the Timberwolves and Jazz quite easily.

But in the Conference Finals, they met the dangerous Warriors. They couldn’t survive the past six games.

A one-sided rivalry

But this wasn’t the first time Harden-led Rockets and the Warriors met in the Playoffs. In an intense series, they lost in six games. During 2015 and 2016, the two clashed as well but Dub Nation didn’t budge once. The Warriors-Rockets 2010s rivalry was thoroughly dominated by Stephen Curry and Co. Poole makes sense when he says that Harden could have won a championship if not for his former team. Whatever may be the case, they left a trail of crunch-time games.

Alongside Kuzma, Poole has a chance to revive a franchise that has been lackluster in Playoffs for decades. Last season, the Wizards couldn’t even reach the Playoffs. Will this duo at the least ensure a playoff berth? Many miles to go for Poole before he can get close to last season’s assists leader.

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