GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 25, 2022

Jordan Poole

Media Conference

Q. Take us through the off-season. How did you train and where did you go?

JORDAN POOLE: Had a quick off-season. Had a couple months off. Traveled a little bit. Worked out a little bit. Tried to relax a little bit because it was a long season. But stayed in shape. I'm excited to be back.

Q. How long we got at the podium?

JORDAN POOLE: 90 seconds. 90 seconds obviously got us a championship. Can't be up here too long.

Q. Your contract is going to be potential --

JORDAN POOLE: Straight to it, huh.

Q. Should be, right.

JORDAN POOLE: Right.

Q. We got 90 seconds. How much of that is on your mind right now?

JORDAN POOLE: We did what we needed to do last year. Got a championship as a team, and obviously that's something that's out there, but I'm going to let my reps handle that. I have confidence that we'll work something out. I'm just here to play basketball and excited to be back with the team.

Q. Is it your preference to get something done before the deadline?

JORDAN POOLE: Yeah, I got the utmost confidence in myself as always, but the decision we'll know in a couple weeks after we get back from Tokyo, and then we'll just play it by ear.

Q. Do you prefer to -- would you be okay going into the season, you know, as a free agent essentially?

JORDAN POOLE: I mean, however we go into the season is however we go in. I mean, I'm going to play my game, continue to be me and put everything forth to help us win games, whatever the situation or circumstance is, yeah.

Q. Is it nerve-wracking or is it because of what you've been through already, it's easy to put a contract out of your mind? What's the mindset?

JORDAN POOLE: We just won a championship. You know, being able to just to experience that in year three, and be a really big part to that, really big key, it's a really exciting feeling, and I'm really excited to see if we can get back to that and embrace that and experience that one more time.

So, if anything, that's kind of what we're looking forward to, at least me personally.

Q. When you look at how you played, especially in the Finals, what does that do for this coming season and how you approach it?

JORDAN POOLE: Well, we played the best basketball at the highest level, and being able to go through my first playoff run, and, you know, have a pretty good outing. If it was pretty good, you just build off of that. You know what that's like now to play at the highest level. You know what to expect and what it takes. You learn and mature and you grow, and you just continue to find ways to get better.

Q. What specifically did you learn from the postseason run last year now that you've had time to reflect on everything?

JORDAN POOLE: It will be a lot of ups, a lot of downs. You're talking about in the game specifically, through basketball, or just in general?

Well, you've got to stay locked in the entire time. It's a different demand than it is in the regular season. A lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of adjustments. Just stay connected.

And the camaraderie that you have with your team is huge. And we're able to build all year. We really were able to play together and everybody be healthy going into the playoffs, and it was a really, really good feeling.

Q. Towards the end last year when you were having a breakout season, I noticed in the playoffs there were fans that dressed up in Poole party gear. Did you notice that at all?

JORDAN POOLE: Yeah, definitely. I am extremely appreciative to even see that, just with their floaties and "Poole Party" shirts and SCUBA gear, I think that's pretty awesome. I try to go over there and say what's up or just make a comment about it as often as I can.

We're in California, you know, so why not have a Poole party, right.

Q. Last one on the Poole parties. You mentioned during the summer in the parade, what makes a good Poole party?

JORDAN POOLE: Music. Vibes. Any swim attire and some water. (Laughter).

Q. How was the pick-up game experience with Jeremy Lin this summer?

JORDAN POOLE: It was good just to get back on the court with J-Lin. We played a little bit in a bubble, say, prior to this past season. It was good to get out there and play. He had called and said if I ever want to get any run in, just go hit him up. And went a couple times, got up and down, and was just good to see him and play with him again.

Q. You obviously improved as the season went on and hit your stride towards the end. How are you preparing for defenses keying in on you, knowing how good you are this season and kind of going after you particularly in second units?

JORDAN POOLE: Find ways to be better. Those are challenges that come with it. It's a good problem to have. Find ways to just add to my game. Play with my teammates.

Obviously there will be different schemes and stuff that I will see all year. Just lock into the film and adjust as best we can. It will be an exciting objective and a challenge to overcome.

Q. I know you did a lot of traveling in the off-season. What does that do for you as a person mentally and just personally, and what are you looking forward to most to travel now to Japan?

JORDAN POOLE: Just trying to be as cultured as possible. It was my first time kind of really just being overseas and embracing the culture, experiencing different things, different foods.

Especially in the off-time that we have, when it's so locked in and so demanding during the season, you just have some downtime and try to learn things and become more appreciative of all the opportunities that we have.

So it was amazing to get over there and experience that for myself and learn and grow and kind of have some downtime somewhere else with a new change of scenery.

Q. Is there a specific life lesson or culture that you can take from the most over the off-season?

JORDAN POOLE: Let me come back it that. Good question.

Q. Did you see your bobblehead, and are you excited about it?

JORDAN POOLE: I did, and it's pretty cool. Shout out to everybody who worked on that and came up with that. It's awesome. When is it, November 14th? I don't know if I was supposed to drop that, but November 14th, be there.

Q. How much unsolicited contract-year advice have you gotten from people?

JORDAN POOLE: Not much. Not much. I mean, if I ask anybody, it would be people who I trust and people who have been through it before. But it really has not been like -- I haven't really been paying attention too often too much. If it comes up, it does, but it hasn't been overwhelming or anything.

Q. Your family hasn't been like, "You have to do this"?

JORDAN POOLE: No, we shut that down a long time ago. No way.

Q. Last year it was a different level of expectations for you, and I'd imagine you felt like yourself, you had a point to prove. And this year there's a different expectation, coming off 18 points a game. How do you go into a season where everybody knows what you can do, and now you have to build on this?

JORDAN POOLE: Just keep playing my game, obviously. Just try to get better, whatever that means and whatever aspect that is.

But like I hit on earlier, it will be like a new objective, and I'm excited for it, you know, to kind of be the key focus and find ways to learn and grow my game through all of that, and, yeah.

Q. You went from something like 34 percent from three to 36, 37, I think 39 in the playoffs. Do you have a specific number that you're aiming for, maybe 40?

JORDAN POOLE: No, I don't. Our offense is a bit different than a lot of teams in the NBA, and the threes that we shoot aren't necessarily common threes.

Whenever I get into the offense or the flow of the game, just essentially try to make the shot. I don't want to think about numbers or like a certain percentage or like a goal to hit. If I've got an open shot, just make it and try to do it as often as possible.

Q. How would you describe Andre's influence/presence on this team, especially the young guys like you?

JORDAN POOLE: Really good to have him. I had him last year. Extremely knowledgeable. He's willing to help us and teach us and give us all the information and knowledge that he's gained over the years. Been extremely beneficial to our team, and being able to have him back is really special.

Q. And the other part is, throughout your time here, it's been consistently said that your work ethic is top-notch. What was it like last year to see that pay off, and how do you maintain that level even though you've had some success?

JORDAN POOLE: Well, just continuing to be me. Continuing to come to work every day and just give it my all, continue to stick to the same routine and game plan that I have.

Through all of that, you just constantly get better. You know, you challenge yourself, put yourself -- luckily we have a really good organization, really good team, guys who are all motivating each other to get better. It's a really good environment to just kind of thrive and put yourself.

Q. Guys always talk about ceiling, ceiling, ceiling. Do you have any idea how close you are to how good you can be at this stage even though you are still very young?

JORDAN POOLE: What you mean?

Q. In your mind, do you think you can get a little better, a lot better?

JORDAN POOLE: A lot. A lot better.

Q. How would you describe a lot?

JORDAN POOLE: There is no ceiling, so when people talk about ceilings, I don't think there is one. You can always get better at something, on the court, off the court, individually, personally. There's always room for growth. There's definitely no ceiling.