Golden State Warriors: Ranking every member of the team’s bench

3. Jordan Poole

One of three rookies that the Golden State Warriors will be giving playing time to this season, Jordan Poole will be one of the most exciting or infuriating.

His role on the team is relatively simple: shoot the ball. A lot. Like a lot, a lot.

We’ve seen this role in the last couple of seasons given to guys like Patrick McCaw and Nick Young. But we saw the issues in either of those extremes; McCaw was far too passive, and Young was a little too distracting to put it nicely.

Jordan Poole will get a chance to find a happy medium. He no doubt can shoot the ball, but he’ll need to show that he can turn that confidence into something that contributes to the bench unit instead of detracting from it.

Poole was taken with the 28th overall pick in the draft and immediately addressed concerns for passiveness on the bench during the previous season — especially during the playoffs.

His profile has him as a plus perimeter shooter who can score in a variety of different ways. He’s a good size for a shooting guard and has a long wingspan that might translate to an ability to defend at an even higher level.

He’s still a work in progress when it comes to his defensive metrics, but he seems to work hard on both ends of the floor and reads passing lanes at an above-average clip.

The thing to watch with Poole will undoubtedly be his ability to shoot from distance. Last year, with Michigan, Poole shot about 37% from deep. If he can replicate that, it’ll be good enough for the Warriors and their second unit.

It should be noted that Poole might be a very frustrating player to watch at times. He’s the type of player that will put up a lot of shots whether he’s feeling it or not.

That’s good in terms of addressing potential passiveness — especially this year when the team will have to get creative with their bench options — but watching him clank from deep might happen quite a bite.

On the bright side, he’s a rhythm player that could give big bursts off the bench on some nights.

Warriors fans clamored around the idea of signing Jordan Crawford this offseason, but the truth is that the Warriors have already filled that role in Jordan Poole.

The expectation for Poole should be that he takes big strides this season and gets plenty of opportunities to score off of the bench. He’s a solid bet to become one of the consensus favorites for Warriors fans this year.

He won’t be trigger-shy Patrick McCaw. He won’t be the eccentric ‘Swaggy P.’ And he won’t get quick hooks that seemed to be a Coach Kerr special on Jordan Bell.

Instead, he’s a player that will thrive in pressure situations and never shy away from the moment. He’s a guy who can create off the dribble and could even conceivably be a part of some futuristic reincarnation of the death lineup.

Maybe that’s idealistic, but it’s also within reach.

Jordan Poole will get a chance to work around some of the best shooters in the world, all while fighting for an opportunity to secure significant playing time in years to come.