Tuesday’s five-game NBA slate featured a couple of highly appetizing matchups, but one game was appealing in a bit of a different way. The Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons squared off in a battle between the two worst teams in the league this season, with each club bringing a 2-14 record into the contest. The first half was largely competitive, with Washington taking a three-point lead into the break on the road, but there was a certain play that garnered attention in a way that was befitting of the stage.
In the final minute of the second quarter, Wizards guard Jordan Poole managed to shake free of Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, and he was left with what appeared to be a wide-open jump shot. Instead of taking that shot, however, Poole attempted to do … something else.
Jordan Poole is something else man pic.twitter.com/8ilPDyXkko
— Slightly Biased (@BiasedSlightly) November 28, 2023
This was jarring to see, both in real time and on replay. It should be noted that NBA players are not machines and, sometimes, decision-making that can seem easy can actually be quite difficult. However, this was bizarre in that Poole was very clearly open and seemingly chose to make his life more difficult. On cue, Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson swooped in for a relatively easy blocked shot, and that was that.
The possession also ended in a turnover after the shot was blocked out of bounds and, while there was no guarantee Poole would have made the jumper, he might’ve directly cost his team two points. Beyond that, it was a play that could be popping up on anti-highlight reels for some time.