Fantasy basketball managers hardly seemed to be taking a giant leap of faith when they invested their third-round draft picks in Washington Wizards SG/PG Jordan Poole this season. After all, Poole averaged 20.4 points per game and 29.9 fantasy points for the Golden State Warriors last season, numbers surely tempered by his role and myriad talented players around him, including future Hall of Famer PG Stephen Curry.
The trade to Washington figured to unleash the eager Poole to shoot and score seemingly at will, to positively alter his career path. Fantasy managers sure bought in.
Several months into the 2023-24 season it has become clear that Poole has hardly seized his opportunity to become one of the league's breakout stars. ESPN Fantasy initially projected him to average 28.6 PPG, which seemed reasonable considering the lack of talent on the Wizards. Poole and PF/SF Kyle Kuzma would carry the offensive load with few difference makers surrounding them. Kuzma is doing his job for the Wizards and fantasy managers, averaging 23.2 PPG and 37.1 fantasy points.
Meanwhile, Poole is the only player selected in the top 50 of ESPN average live drafts currently rostered in less than 90% of leagues. This is quite telling.