3 ways the Warriors can survive without Steph Curry

1. Help Jordan Poole shine

“It’s Jordan Poole time” — Jordan Poole.

Poole’s scoring numbers have dropped from last season but he’s been much more efficient inside the arc and more comfortable making plays for others. The biggest difference is a huge drop in his 3-point percentage, in large part because he’s been abysmal on pull-up 3s — 28.4 percent on 3.3 attempts per game.

In Curry’s absence the Warriors need to create opportunities for Poole to drive the offense, but do it within their flow and structure, filling some but not all of the on- and off-ball responsibilities Curry would have. Instead of asking Poole to masquerade as Curry, they need to make sure the playmaking load is shared as much possible, with Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson taking on more responsibility. That can allow Poole to be an offensive endpoint as much as possible, using his gifts to attack but in advantageous matchups or after the defense has already been shifted.

If they just ask him to go out and create offense singlehandedly, they could find themselves in a much deeper hole by the time Curry returns.

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