Corey Kispert on Jordan Poole: “He’s always got a smile on his face”

Adapting to the Washington Wizards’ playing style has posed challenges for guard Jordan Poole, with on-court statistics showing an average of 17.5 points on 40.8% shooting from the floor, utilizing 15.1 field-goal attempts per game.

Despite these on-court adjustments, off the court, Poole has seamlessly integrated into his new team, earning praise for his excellent fit with the group, as noted by Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

“He’s always got a smile on his face,” teammate Corey Kispert said. “He can talk to anybody. Off the court, he’s just a ray of light. He always brings good energy, and it’s good to see Jordan every single day when I walk into the building. I know I can count on him to pick me up if I’m not feeling great.”

Despite facing challenges such as defensive struggles and offensive inconsistency, Jordan Poole maintains a positive perspective as he navigates through the current season, according to observations by Robbins.

“This is the most that they’ve been on me other than the playoffs or the finals,” Poole said. “I think it’s awesome, honestly, just to feel that over the course of the game how teams are over and over and over night-in, night-out coming out with physicality because that’s what’s in their game plan. That’s what coaches think would be a good way to slow me down. So, I’m embracing it, learning from it, growing from it.”

Even with a challenging 5-23 record as of Saturday, it’s clear that Jordan Poole and his teammates have managed to build strong chemistry on the court.

“Porzingis was the same way – kind of a pleasant surprise in the same way,” Kispert said. “We all heard a lot of rumors of him coming from Dallas and the things that happened there. And then when he showed up in our locker room, he immediately took me by surprise, and he treated everyone great.

“Anybody off the team or in my circle of friends back home who were asking me about him – I could only say positive things about him. And Jordan’s been the same way: [He’s] been an absolute pleasure to be a teammate of and to get to know.”