Jordan Poole’s first time as a bench player with the Washington Wizards didn’t go as planned.
The 24-year-old guard — who played a crucial bench role in the Warriors’ 2022 championship run before being traded last July — raised eyebrows when he turned over the ball in the second half of a 130-110 blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
With a little more than 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Poole went to inbound the ball but he instead appeared to hand the rock over to Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray — who made an easy layup on the other end of the court to extend their lead to 101-83 at Ball Arena in Denver.
Poole finished with 18 points off the bench and shot just 4-of-17 from the field.
But the third-quarter turnover is what really had some fans scratching their head.
“Jordan poole is trying his best,” Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) wrote in a post on X, including the play.
“There’s no way,” a separate X user posted.
Poole hesitated a few times before sending the short pass that was intercepted by Murray — a mistake he immediately regretted, according to his body language.
Poole put his hands up in the air by his head and looked confused before he made his way back down the court.
Wizards guard Corey Kispert ran threw three Nuggets defenders and was calling for the inbound pass right in front of Poole.
Kispert — who was a candidate to replace Poole in the starting lineup when he was moved to the bench for Thursday’s game — appeared frustrated afterward.
It was an uphill battle for the Wizards, especially in the second half.
In the fourth quarter, three of Washington’s first five possessions ended in steals by Nuggets players.
Wizards interim coach Brian Keefe said Poole would move to the bench against Denver on Thursday after he had started his first 52 games in Washington.
He averaged 15.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 40.0 percent shooting in that span.
The Warriors traded Poole to Washington in July after he played a crucial sixth-man role in the Warriors’ playoff run two years ago.
But things are going much differently in the nation’s capital.
The Wizards (9-46) are 14th in the Eastern Conference, just one spot above the dead-last Detroit Pistons.
They visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
