Jordan Poole on home win, return from injury | Pelicans-Trail Blazers Postgame Interview 12/11/25

Jordan Poole on home win, return from injury | Pelicans-Trail Blazers Postgame Interview 12/11/25

just how you feeling physically, mentally. Um yeah, how was it tonight? Uh it was good. I think it was good. We got a win um home court. A lot of guys played well. Um I think we put ourselves in a position to be successful tonight. A lot of guys stepped up. So uh just got to build off this momentum. Um new coach since you last played a little bit different focuses on offense. just how do you feel like you’re you you incorporate in in this offense and how have you seen it going while you’ve been watching them play as well? Um I think it’s really good for our team the way we’re set up. Our skill sets um we’re young, we’re fast, we like to get out in transition, we move around a lot. Uh so I think just what Coach JB has kind of implemented with this group is huge for us. Um, obviously we’re still learning on the other end, but our superpower is playing with speed, getting out in in transition. Um, and I think when we move the ball, how we did tonight. Um, a lot of guys were able to step up. So, I think it was just huge for us. Good for us to kind of see uh how high level we can play and we just got to find a way to, you know, keep this momentum. Enjoying your first year with a new team. How tough was it for you just to have to sit out all those games and just watch? I hated it. I didn’t like it at all. But I mean, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I was playing injured the first seven games also. So, uh, it’s just good to be back out there. Good to be back out there. I mean, you can’t do anything about an injury. Um, you know, but you can do whatever you can to try to get back and that’s what I’ve done. Uh, now we’ve got to, you know, find ways to continue to try to stay healthy and it’s a long season, so just take care of our bodies and, you know, try to contribute to some wins. What kind of push you through that like mentally? What What do you mean? I mean, just not being able to play and just, you know, just mentally get uh I mean, it’s one of those things where no matter what I did, no matter how much recovery, treatment, work that I did, the injury itself just needed time. Um I was just doing basically like 24 hours around the clock, treatment, recovery. um just trying to make the most of the opportunity um of having time off but also pushing myself so that when I’m able to come back I’m able to make an impact how I do uh how I did tonight and yeah it was the first time in my career that I set out that many games. So I don’t like it at all but I’m back. When when you do when you are coming back from an absence that long, um do you tailor your approach to a game like this to the circumstances of not having played as long or or were you maybe as assertive as you always meant to be coming back? What What do you think? What did it look like? It looked like you you came out with a lot of initiative. Yeah. Affect the game early and on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I mean, I feel like that’s a mindset that you have to have. Um, pretty spot on with what you said, just because I don’t know if I want to go out there or have guys go out there if they’re not able to make an impact by being themselves. Um, and I know the type of impact that I have uh with our team against different defenses. Um, so I just tried to put myself in the best possible position for me to go out there and be ready uh to make an impact whenever we need it. Kind of, you know, similar to tonight. And sometimes you got to protect us from ourselves. Um whether that’s the coaches, whether those, you know, the staff, whether that’s the medical staff, but um I’m really in tune with my body, how I feel, the treatment that I do to recovery I do. So, um I was pushing the entire time. And then I feel like as soon as I knew I was ready to go out there and be me, um or a really close version to it, I I’ll be ready to play. So, it was just good to be back out there with my guys tonight. We got some good energy in the building. We got some people standing up on their feet, which is always cool. So, I just got to keep it up. Jordan, did you play through a quad strain in those first seven games or was it a different injury? No, I was hurt the entire time. Yeah, same thing. Uh, it was strain. Uh, but it was some other stuff after I went to go get it checked out, but uh, yeah, I was pretty banged up from day one. And do you feel now 100%? Cuz to me, you look like this is the fastest I’ve ever seen you move since you put on this uniform. Uh, can’t give out the goods. I’m good enough to be out there though. And Jordan, let me ask you about Derek Queen since we haven’t talked to you in such a while. What have you seen from him, particularly him blossoming this season? Like what’s the focal point and how has he been able to become kind of the distributor on offense? Yeah, I mean DQ is uh really talented, special player. I think with guys being injured um in the league, because it happens to every team, it just gives other players an opportunity to step up, an opportunity to blossom, learn how they play, uh figure out what they’re good at in the league. And for the 18 games I think I was out, he’s done a tremendous job just kind of coming to his own. um obviously with the extended minutes which is a blessing for any rookie um no matter what team you’re on and he can pass the ball uh he can handle the ball and he’s really good on the offensive side as a team. Um with the vets I think Lon and DeAndre do a really good job of just standing his ear about the small things it takes to be a good player talking on defense uh kind of commanding the defense being more physical getting rebounds. But those are all things that you learn throughout the course of your first year, rookie year, second year, NBA career. So, um, I think our rookies have done a really good job. You know, they stepped up to the occasion and, uh, they’re learning what it takes to be good in this league. And I mean, it doesn’t stop here. It’s only been, you know, quarter of the season. So, um, they got a support system around us. I think everybody or around them and everybody has one also. So, um, just want to keep allowing them to be successful and, you know, pushing our team in the right direction. It’s team’s been really really good in the paint over the past couple of games. Who has the Pelicans? Yeah. Um but they have been like trailally behind in the three-point like attempts or like has it been with you getting back? Has it been emphasized of you just helping them get the volume up there? Uh yeah. If there’s anything that I really saw or kind of noticed when I was out was that. Um, luckily that’s my play type and I’m able to be a threat from the perimeter. I’m able to stretch the defense. I’m able to put pressure on the defense in transition also. Um, and of course we would want to get up more threes, but we’re just a really good team at attacking the paint. I think tonight we did a good job of attacking the paint, but also spraying out. And now you saw a spray out to a kick kick or like a swing swing which you’re getting guys open shots, you know, that just comes from um I feel like the gravity that I have, just trust your players because the ball’s going to come around. But um of course you want to get up more threes. It also is a part of our personnel, but that’s also why I’m here is to kind of spread the floor a little bit. Um and we just got to find a good balance of doing so. But I’mma definitely be shooting them threes. JP, about a few minutes left, a timeout was called, you guys were up by 16, you told the crowd to make some noise. Yeah. Uh, in addition to just being excited to getting back on the court, what did how did it feel to know that you kind of impacted helping this team win um, you know, with the with the early season start that the team has had so far? It’s a good question, bro. Um, I don’t know. I’ve always been that type of player. I know how important it is to have the crowd on our side. I know how important it is to have them engaged, especially being in arenas on the road where the other team’s engaged. And we have such an active crowd, whether it’s full, whether it’s not full, our fans are Pelicans fans, which is like really dope to be a part of. They want to cheer and they want to be loud. I think all the games that we’ve seen that have come down to the wire, um, even if we haven’t won, the crowd is engaged and my entire career, I kind of fed off that energy. I think you guys were just able to see it tonight, whether it’s a transition three, um, you feel the energy kind of rise as you’re getting into the shot or we get a fast break and you throw a lot to Trey, now the crowd’s in it, right? That just rattles the other team. And we have, uh, we have fans who who like love to watch hoop. Obviously, we got to give them something to cheer for. But, um, it’s a two-way street. And, uh, that’s just kind of staple. That’s kind of like a staple to, you know, my play type, my personality, just getting a crowd involved cuz I know we’ll need them, you know, not only this year, not next year, but, you know, the entire time I’m here. So, it’s just the start of it. And it was good to see some people on their feet. You know, we give him something to cheer for tonight. So, we got to keep that up. And Jordan, did you know a lot about Bryce before he got here? What did you think about what he’s contributed? Yeah, Bryce has been playing amazing. Uh, Midwestern guy played in the Big 10, so I did my homework. But, uh, he just has such a calm demeanor and he just plays the right way, extremely talented. Um, you can kind of trust him when he’s out there to just do his thing, not have to do too much, but also be aggressive enough to make an impact, and that’s hard to teach. So, um, Bryce had an amazing game. I was telling him we had like a little healthy competition going on today when it came to making shots. So, I think he had a careerhigh in threes, which is which is dope. And that’s just, you know, what you want to try to bring out of your teammates, you know, is um healthy competition to, you know, up the level, rise the level. And he had a big game today and it was a big reason we won. So, shout out to to Bryce.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole’s postgame interview after the Pelicans’ win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, December 11 during the 2025-26 Season.
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