Wizards' Jordan Poole: Active hands defensively Friday

Poole ended Friday's 115-105 loss to Cleveland with 17 points (6-15 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds, six assists, one block and three steals across 36 minutes.

Poole took a back seat to teammate Bilal Coulibaly's 27 points as Washington hung with the Cavaliers on Friday, but that didn't prevent him from filling up the box score and making a big impact on the defensive side of the floor, which isn't always his strong suit. Poole's scoring has been erratic lately, but overall, he's averaging 17.7 points, 5.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.6 three-pointers per game across his last nine contests. Volatility could remain a common theme for the 25-year-old combo guard throughout the season with the 3-20 Wizards, but Poole's efficiency could get a bump when Kyle Kuzma (ribs) gets healthy enough to help with the playmaking duties.