Jordan Poole has had a rough season so far during the 2023-24 NBA campaign. He was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Washington Wizards during the off-season, and his numbers were expected to rise with an elevated offensive role and being one of the primary contributors with his new team.

NBA: Poole Scores Season-High 31 In Wizards’ Loss

Jordan Poole tonight:

31 Points

5 Rebounds

5 Assists

52% FG pic.twitter.com/Hk3ti5jpYn

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 26, 2024

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Poole than they did through the first 50+ games. His struggles were apparent both on the stat sheet and on the highlights, putting up an unusual amount of poor performances and being featured on blooper highlight reels that made their rounds on social media.

Things appeared to hit rock bottom this past week. Before their game against the Thunder on Friday, the Wizards announced that Jordan Poole would come off of the bench for the first time this NBA season as they attempted a new lineup coming out of the All-Star break. The move certainly didn’t help in the grand scheme of things as the Wizards lost by 41 points, but Poole was the team’s high scorer on the night, scoring 21 points in his new role.

And while Washington has continued their current tough stretch by losing their game against the Cavaliers on Sunday, Poole had the best scoring day that he’s had in a Wizards uniform. Again off of the bench, the struggling guard put up 31 points to mark a season high, hitting 11 of his 21 shots that included 6 made three pointers. He made all three of his free throw attempts, and added 5 rebounds and 5 assists as well.

Poole Has Improved, But The Team Is Still Losing

JORDAN POOLE 30-PIECE. pic.twitter.com/FjaueLq5xe

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 26, 2024

The sample size is small, but the difference in Jordan Poole’s performances has been noticeable since being benched. It hasn’t helped the Wizards much, though, as they have now lost 11 games in a row and are 3-22 in the 2024 calendar year. If it weren’t for the Pistons, who set an NBA record earlier in the year by losing 28 straight games, Washington would be the worst team in the league. They are just a half-game up on Detroit after Sunday’s action around the league.

Poole and the Wizards are facing a tough stretch during the coming week. They will take on the surging Warriors at home on Tuesday, followed by a West Coast road trip in which they’ll take on the Lakers, Clippers, and Jazz.