Q. Now that this season is over, how would you sum it up in a general sense?
JORDAN POOLE: It was cool. First season, learning season. A lot of moving parts, a lot of moving pieces. Players, coaching changes, new front office, it was a learning experience, and it was cool to kind of be in this situation and what it'll look like moving forward.
Q. Compare for you just how you feel now compared to when Brian Keefe took over and obviously the change was made for you with your role, and just how did that change everything for you this year?
JORDAN POOLE: Yeah, BK did a tremendous job taking over later in the second half of the season. Credit to him for rallying our guys together through a long season and playing players to their strengths all across our team and keeping guys together. He did a really good job of kind of allowing me to play my true position and play more on ball. He did a really good job. Credit to him. It was a tough move right away, being the middle of the season, to have such short notice. So credit to BK.
Q. Speaking of playing on ball, how much did that unlock you and make you feel more comfortable on the court?
JORDAN POOLE: I think tremendously. That's what I'm used to. I think we were just kind of able to see how comfortable I was later in the second half of the season, facilitating for my teammates, getting out in transition. Kind of changed our play style a little bit. We played a lot faster. We got up a lot more threes. It was a really good switch. Like I said, a lot of that is credit to BK for just allowing for me to kind of play in that position, making the changes that we did, and ultimately just having a strong end to the season.
Q. Back in October at media day you said you wanted to build a championship culture and that starts with building chemistry. How much chemistry do you think was built this year?
JORDAN POOLE: Yeah, huge. I think something that needs to be seen is like we're building something, and it takes time. Like right now we're putting in the nails, we're leveling the ground. There's all this stuff that goes unseen, goes unnoticed when it comes to building a house. A lot of people just see the finished product or what the house looks like driving down the street. We're very early in the stages of just laying down the foundational work and building chemistry and rallying guys and finishing the season strong. We were very competitive at the end of the season. I think that's something that's huge for us and will give us a lot of momentum going into next season, just knowing that we can compete night in and night out with the guys that we have and always trying to find ways to get better.
I think we have a really good chance this off-season to kind of grow and learn individually and as a team.
Q. Going back to the conversations with BK when that move happened, what were the conversations you guys had about the expectations he wants from you in that role coming off the bench, what he wants you to do with regards to the ball in your hand, and unlocking JP? What were those conversations like?
JORDAN POOLE: He was pretty adamant and straightforward about he knows I'm best when I have the ball in my hands, when I'm able to facilitate for others, when I'm able to be aggressive, get out in transition, kind of be the focal point, lead the group. I was pissed when I came off the bench. I was not happy at all. But made it very clear that I'm a professional and it's really good the team. It's about putting guys in a position to be successful, whatever to do to help our team. We had a conversation about it not too long ago. I told him I still wasn't happy about it.
But it's a learning process, new season. I think we're all really trying to figure out what people's strengths were at the time, how to unlock people. But he did a really good job. I think we were all able to see these last 28 games or whatever it was what it's like to be playing my true position, and like I said, we were competitive, and that's you can really ask for.
Q. You talked early on about how teams were guarding you and blitzing you and being more physical with you, and once that move happened and that shift within you happened, I noticed you were absorbing the contact and welcoming it a lot more. Did you put on weight during the season or put on more strength that you felt like you could then initiate some of that contact as the season went on?
JORDAN POOLE: It wasn't more so a physical thing. It was -- I guess I can really kind of give you the breakdown. So early in the season I was being up there, the top players in the scouting report who would get a lot of coverage, and normally I was getting the best defender night in and night out, but I was playing more so out of the corner, and I was going up against like loaded defenses, so I'm getting the best players, I'm getting lengthy defenders on me but also going against built-in help. So help slid over, whoever the big man is is also packing the paint a little bit, and it was tough just to kind of play with space, play with freedom, without having to force it essentially, because whenever the ball would come around or whatever our situation was, you wanted to be aggressive being a scorer, play maker, making things work.
That was the first half of the season, but I think in the second half I was more on ball. Our pace picked up. I was able to play more out in transition a lot faster.
We also had -- played more five out, so our 5 man was at the top of the key or he was spaced out on the wing, giving us a lot more lane, a lot more freedom to drive to the basket without having a big pack the paint. I think that's where you were seeing more drives to the lane, attacking to the paint, because it wasn't against a loaded defense, it was more so in open space and transition after a make, after a miss. Getting guys like Corey to chase, because he's a really good shooter, he's creating space for others.
It was more so a structural thing that I saw a change at the end of the season just from playing out of the corner as opposed to playing more up top, in transition, spacing. We were playing a lot of 55, double drags, a lot of highball screens helped.
So then when you are trying to double me or send multiple help defenders and coverages, we have guys who are open in the middle of the lane, you're hitting them in the pocket, you're hitting them over the pocket and now we're spraying, we're getting shooters in the corner, we're getting back-door cuts, so it just kinds of opened up the floor not only for me personally but for our team, and I think we played better faster. I think that's kind of what we were able to kind of rely on and really helped us later in the back end of the season.
Q. I know typically media are not supposed to give this preface, but if you do not want to answer it I understand. From a mental standpoint, how much did this season weigh on you, and how do you feel now that you've gotten through it and got back to yourself?
JORDAN POOLE: Repeat the question one more time. I want to make sure I give you a good answer.
Q. From a mental standpoint, this season weighed on you, but from game 1 to the move to the bench and now game 82, how do you feel you've weathered the storm now that you got to get back to JP that we expected to see coming into it and also feel more like that JP on the floor?
JORDAN POOLE: Yeah, I mean, I think we all knew what we signed up for when you want to play basketball and especially at the highest level. But what I realized more than anything is I'm built for tougher. I'm built for more. Obviously everybody wants to have a great season. Everybody wants to win games. Everybody wants to have a championship. Everybody wants to be an All-Star, et cetera.
But you've got to go through this to get to that. I embrace everything. It's a cool challenge, cool experience. You see who's with you, you see who's not.
It's just another season of basketball, honestly. It'll always be -- when you care about it so much, emotions get involved. I care about the game and I love the game. I'm built for way tougher than that for sure. Not too much.
Q. You mentioned that you feel like you have an idea of what things are going to be like going forward. I wonder what you think of as Michael and Will's kind of defining qualities as front office people, as guys leading this rebuild? How would you say they're going about kind of reconstructing this team and the organization?
JORDAN POOLE: Yeah. They're hard workers, and they're very adamant about the things that they want to do. It was a first for so many in the organization, and that kind of goes back to putting the nails in the steel and leveling the ground and starting from scratch.
I think people want instant success in our generation, but we really need to rely on delayed gratification. We're putting in our time now, we're going to figure out the tough times, figure out everything we need to do now, and in the long run the stuff that we'll show will need to show, and it will, and have more than enough confidence in them that they'll put our team, our organization in a situation to continue to be successful.
It's just really cool to see how it'll start, and I'm very confident that we'll end up somewhere really special.
Q. You guys obviously have a coaching search coming up. What qualities do you think this team needs in a head coach going forward?
JORDAN POOLE: I mean, I can really only just speak on the stuff that BK has brought since he's been here, and I think he's been really good for our young team, the detail orientedness that he brings, the structure that he brings.
He loves the game. That's something that goes a really long way, especially at the highest level. He's willing and very genuine and authentic about putting our team, putting guys in positions to be successful and play to their strengths and really unlocking them because he cares about them as individuals. He's done a really good job.
In terms of the coaching situation, I don't know what's going to happen. It's not up to me. But I have more than enough confidence that we'll make the right decision going forward.
Q. When you look at the big picture of where the franchise is trying to go, what have you seen that gives you hope for the future, that it can get to where it wants to go?
JORDAN POOLE: Just the mentality. I think we are -- we've put into the process. You see guys coming in night in and night out, working on their craft, watching film, in the weight room, focusing on their bodies, asking questions. Being the young team that we are, just to see guys who care, see guys who are going to continuously push to the end, through the season, get ready for the off-season, just kind of love the game is huge. That's kind of the main focus. When you've got a love for the game, everything else will kind of plan out for itself.
Q. All the top players come back the next year with something new in their tool kit, and they say they can't get you out of the gym. What elements of your game do you want to bring back or add to your skill set by next October?
JORDAN POOLE: Well, I couldn't tell you that because I'd be giving out the sauce. So I guess you'll have to see next year.
Q. You dealt with your fair share of trials and tribulations and kept working --
JORDAN POOLE: I be watching the podcast, bro. I be watching the pod.
Q. To me that's silent leadership. As a leader, how do you want to evolve as a leader going forward?
JORDAN POOLE: In terms of what, basketball oriented, the team? It's a building process. Building process. Really trying to connect these guys. Really trying to show them what it takes to play at the highest level, the sacrifices that people need to make, and guys got to sacrifice some of their summer. Guys got to spend more time in the gym. You've got to really put yourself in a situation to prepare for more, for a longer season.
Something I was talking to the guys in the locker room about is today would be the day that we'd be starting a new season. Today will be the day that we will be starting a new season, if you think about that. You've got to prepare for that prior. You don't want to prepare for that in the moment.
Just finding ways to just take it as seriously as possible. Really just show how much you love the game, show your craft, obviously take the time off, get your bodies right, but you want to play at the highest level, and there's sacrifices that come with that. You've got to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of yourself, the betterment of your team. Just small incremental things like that for mental change, to not be satisfied with ending after 82 games and wanting to really make a deep run in the postseason, but it starts the year before, the summer before, and just finding ways each and every day to just get better by 1 percent. As simple as it sounds, you get 1 percent better every day, you'll make an incremental difference when it comes to your game.
Q. With your ability to attack the basket, play off defenses and really utilize shooters on the outside, how different can the offense be going forward and what difference whether it's through system or personnel do you want to see happen with this offense?
JORDAN POOLE: Yeah, I think we saw how special of a team we can play with, the style that we have later in the season. We're young so we can play really fast, really fast. I want to say we had a top 5 tempo in the league. Structurally with the team, that's more so up to the front office and what direction we want to go in and style of play, but I think that playing fast, playing five out, spacing the floor with shooters, getting some really solid pick-and-roll players to kind of unlock our shooters, unlock players who have better defenders on them will help us a lot. But the Eastern Conference is really physical, so finding guys who can be really physical, size up a little bit.
But there's a lot of things that we could do or could change it. It's really not up to me. But personally being able just to space the floor with shooters, get some good screen setters and play with pace, especially being a young team and just continuously night in and night out, outrunning teams, I think that'll be huge for us, just using our youth, and we definitely could be special.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports