Klay Thompson

Discoveries are often a wonderful thing — and Steve Kerr's latest lineup discovery of fielding a 5-man lineup of Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, ...

His box-out on Jokić in the second clip above is exemplary, leading to a nifty behind-the-back pass by Poole to a trailing Thompson. He puts pressure on Jokić’s lower base, makes it extra difficult to get close to the rim, and anticipates Jokić’s spin. Poole’s ascension as a three-level scorer has been paramount to the success of this lineup. Curry and Poole aren’t an ideal backcourt pairing defensively — you can argue that this Nuggets team doesn’t have the personnel to take advantage of that fact. Gordon denies an open lane, but a last-ditch drop off to Green, followed by a swing to Poole on the wing, garners an open shot. Wiggins can be an opportunistic scorer who plays off of the pull that such a trio commands. The possession above is also what happens when the Warriors force a stop and push the pace. His partnership with Green is legendary, whether it’s on short-roll possessions that allow Green to dissect a disadvantaged backline, or on Curry relocations such as this one: A freelance offense built on improvisation has always been the Warriors’ forte, and the possession above wasn’t any different. It’s been a complete 5-in-1 solution for the Warriors, who didn’t have the best of starts against the Nuggets in Game 2. The fear that Curry places on defenses creates an enormous amount of pressure. It’s what has made him a relatively successful defender in the pick-and-roll, despite his obvious athletic shortcomings.

Inside look at Jordan Poole's emergence in the NBA playoffs. Plus, how the Timberwolves and Grizzlies are playing by their own rules.

But even if he doesn’t return, Dallas may have found Utah’s kryptonite, and that may be enough to make this a series with or without the superstar point guard. (To be fair, we’ve also seen it toward the end of a few Utah collapses this season, when Gobert and the Jazz didn’t contest the perimeter after a switch. Utah has been a sieve on the perimeter all year, but Monday was especially shameful, considering how big it would have been to take a 2–0 lead on a team that could get its perennial MVP candidate back in the lineup in the coming days. It looked exactly the same as last year’s Western Conference semifinal series against the Clippers, in which Los Angeles repeatedly goaded Gobert out of position to be able to make a quick pass to a wide-open shooter along the arc. The man is going to make a lot of money this summer. When it comes to breaking the conventional rules, Minnesota did that most in Game 1, beating the grit and grind originators at their own game and on their home floor. But whether Adams is in the rotation plenty or not, rest assured: There should be plenty of shotmaking, loose-ball scrambles and mean mugging to go around either way. But even though Memphis got outworked on the boards, don’t be surprised if we see Steven Adams for a shorter amount of time than his 24 minutes in the last contest. As The Athletic’s Fred Katz laid out, Minnesota—one of the NBA’s worst defensive rebounding clubs—won the rebounding battle and managed to limit its live-ball turnovers to just three in Game 1 despite Memphis being the best squad at forcing those sorts of miscues. Poole, a fantastic passer and shooter, is still on a rookie deal rather than a max one (though he’s eligible for an extension this summer). He also has one of Curry’s best tendencies in the sense that he moves extremely well without the ball, leaving defenses uneasy and confused about where he’ll be on the court at any given moment. It’s a shame that Game 2 of perhaps the most fascinating first-round matchup will be showcased on NBA TV, where fewer folks will see it. It was perhaps the clearest sign that he was back to being Steph again.

In fairness to TNT, naming this iteration of the Warriors' "death lineup" has proved...

Whatever you want to call this new lineup, the stats when all five members are on the court together are eye-popping. In fairness to TNT, naming this iteration of the Warriors' "death lineup" has proved difficult so far. 3G is an outdated mobile technology in the US that doesn't sound fast or speedy at all.

Klay Thompson heaped praise on rising star Jordan Poole, calling him "baby Steph Curry," when asked about the impact he has had on the Golden State ...

His ability to impact the game with an all-around effort on offense has bolstered the Dubs' winning record this year, making it important for him to keep up the momentum. Steph Curry scored 34 points in only 22 minutes off the bench, while Jordan Poole fell one shy of bagging his second consecutive 30-point outing. Then Draymond kind of glues us all together, with his ability to playmake, navigate the defense."