Pelicans Practice Report: Jordan Poole Adding Vocal Veteran Experience to Squad

New Orleans Pelicans Embrace Jordan Poole’s Leadership and Experience

In a move aimed at bolstering their offense, the New Orleans Pelicans acquired guard Jordan Poole from the Washington Wizards. However, the trade has also brought with it valuable leadership qualities, as Poole’s presence is being embraced for his vocal veteran experience.

Vocal Leadership and Accountability

According to Coach Willie Green, Poole has quickly integrated into the Pelicans’ roster, becoming a “young, experienced vet” who provides both wisdom and accountability. Green praised Poole’s ability to stop practice and point out areas for improvement, stating that this is exactly what the team needs from its young players.

“He’s vocal with his teammates,” Green noted. “Sometimes he stops practice and points things out. That’s what a young group needs.

It’s not always me. I’m encouraging our guys, and they’re holding each other accountable too if something goes wrong, they’ll stop it and talk about it. If something goes well, they’ll stop it and say, we got to do more of this.”

Championship Experience and Mentorship

Poole’s background with the Golden State Warriors, including a championship run in 2022, adds another layer of experience to his game. This has allowed him to provide valuable insights and mentorship to his teammates, particularly to the younger players.

“I think one thing that helps is everybody has one common goal, we just want to win,” Poole said. “We got a lot of fighters, we got a lot of dogs out here. That’s all we really care about.

So, it’s more so the things that I have experienced from some of the greatest players in the game that I’m just reiterating to our team to do whatever we can to help us win games, be a competitive team, get to the playoffs.”

Guard/forward Herb Jones and guard Jose Alvarado highlighted Poole’s positive influence on the team. Jones said, “He’s vocal, I think everybody respects what he says when he says it. He works hard, always in the gym, giving game to the young guys, and I’m always picking his brain about certain offensive things.”

Alvarado added, “We just have a really good group of guys who want to get better, who want to learn, who want to listen, who want to play at a high level.

So, it makes it pretty easy to kind of say what you got to say. But the guys listening, the coaches, kind of give me a voice, just to put us in a situation to be successful.”

Preparing for Season-Opening Games

The Pelicans are gearing up for their season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, October 22. Coach Green expressed excitement about facing a team with strong chemistry and good defense. “When you return as many core players as they do, you have some synergy,” he said. “There’s some good chemistry as a team. They’re still a good team.

They want to play fast. We know they were one of the better teams in transition. They’re a team that drives the ball. Historically, they’ve been a good defense, especially with Jaren Jackson down there, so we expect that team to be very sound.”

With Poole’s addition and the Pelicans’ strong group dynamics, fans can look forward to an exciting season filled with both offense and defense as the team aims for success in the 2025-26 NBA Season.