Wizards' Jordan Poole: Starting season as point guard

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Poole will be Washington's starting point guard and primary ballhandler to start the season, Bijan Todd of Monumental Sports Network reports.

Poole, coach Brian Keefe and General Manager Will Dawkins collaborated to assess the best way to maximize what the 25-year-old can bring to the Wizards' backcourt. Poole spent 46.1 percent of his on-ball touches working out of pick-and-roll last season, but he mustered a subpar 47.4 effective field-goal percentage on those possessions -- ranking 61st out of 62 qualifying ball handlers. Washington is attempting to rehabilitate Poole's efficiency as he enters Year 2 of a four-year, $128 million contract. On an individual level, Poole's total performance improved after the All-Star break, as he averaged 20.9 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 35.9 percent on 8.9 threes per game across 26 regular-season contests.