The Washington Wizards have had, yet again, a season to forget. Even with their recent blockbuster deal for Trae Young, their season couldn’t get much worse in terms of record. The Wizards’ record is 10-27 (.270), good enough for 14th in the Eastern Conference with their tank in full effect. However, even in losing situations, the team can take some positives away.
Wizards Get Ultimate Last Laugh At Ex-Guard Even After Loss
Washington may have dropped another game against the New Orleans Pelicans, but that doesn’t mean it was all bad. Jordan Poole, Washington’s former point guard, has spent the majority of his first season out of D.C taking plenty of shots at the team.
From trashing the fanbase to talking about former teammates, it’s safe to say he’s rather happy to be out of the nation’s capital. Unfortunately for him, the crowd that spent the last two seasons cheering him on had quite a different tone to it when the Pelicans and Poole rolled into town. Even after a blowout loss, the Wizards and their fanbase can say they got the last laugh.
Poole’s Horrid Season
After arguably Poole’s best season in the NBA, he was traded for CJ McCollum this past offseason. The Pelicans looked like a potential Cinderella team in the stacked Western Conference before the season started. Flash forward to January, and the Pelicans are losing their first-round pick, having absolutely no direction outside of rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Poole went from his best season in the league to possibly his worst. In his 21 games this season, Poole is averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 rebounds in 27 minutes per game. Outside of his turnover numbers, every statistical category has taken a hit from last season, with his scoring taking the biggest hit, down 5.2 points. He’s shooting 36.2% from the field and 30.8% from three, marking the lowest splits since his rookie year.
The change of scenery has not helped the veteran guard, and in his return to Capital One Arena showed his game may be forever altered.
Washington’s Lasting Laugh
Poole’s return to Washington marked his first game in D.C since April of 2025, when he scored 23 points in 24 minutes in a win against the Kings. However, right off the bat, everyone could tell Poole was not going to have that type of game, coming off the bench for the third time in five games.
Poole would check in for the first time in the middle of the first quarter, and the fan reaction was negative to say the least. As soon as he stepped on the floor, the boos came from all corners of the arena. They were so loud that fans could hear them from home, blaring through the Wizards’ TV broadcast. Unfortunately for Poole, it was only the beginning of a VERY long night.
In just 12 minutes of action, Poole would score zero points on two shots, with one assist. Every time he touched the ball, boos came from the crowd. For an arena that Poole commented on that was “dead” last season, they sure seemed alive when the ball was in his hands.
Arguably most brutal, Poole ended the game with more turnovers than all of his stats put together, with three on the night. He would also end up almost fouling out with four, averaging a foul every three minutes of action.
The Last Word
Karma, unfortunately, has a real way of getting to everyone. For Poole, it just so happened to be the one game this season in Capital One Arena. Even with yet another bad Washington season, Wizards fans have something to be happy about. Isn’t that all that matters?
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