Golden State Warriors: Jordan Bell Developing Into Key Contributor
The Golden State Warriors , over the last summer, had not just confirmed the core of their franchise, but also added a promising young big man from Oregon.
For the Golden State Warriors, Jordan Bell‘s arrival was a tactical move of the GM Bob Myers, who’d been able to convince the Chicago Bulls to sell their thirty-eighth pick for cash consideration.
It’s not often a deal is made in which teams sell a rookie for money. Except, when that rookie turns out to be very, very good.
And Bell has the look of a rookie who may very well turn out to be just that. He is currently the best rookie in terms of field goal percentage, shooting 70.4 percent and is also leading his draft class in true shooting percentage with 71.2 percent.
But that’s not all: in effect, he is also the best player in the league in terms of EFG percentage — which is a statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points — with the 72.6 percent.
His offensive efficiency is mainly linked to his scorer’s mentality and his willingness to fight around the rim. Indeed, his average shooting distance is 2.4 feet — and after 3 feet, his attempt percentage falls under 25 percent.
The pick ‘n roll is very important for the Warriors, and Jordan Bell needs to spend more time working on his efficiency in this metric. The rookie is currently averaging 0.80 points per possession and, in this statistic, he is behind the first 60 NBA rollers with at least 10 percent frequency running this play.
Golden State Warriors
Deepening his numbers, Bell is scoring in the pick ‘n roll under the 50 percent, and his percentile is just 11.6 percent.
In these percentages, Bell is currently behind the other Golden State Warriors big men, David West, Zaza Pachulia and Kevon Looney.
Bell is well involved in Warriors offense, touching the ball and assisting other players in perfect alignment with Steve Kerr‘s philosophy. In fact, Bell is touching the ball in the paint the least possible -just 24.8 times.
Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons leads this special ranking with 103.4 touches in the paint –but he his conversion rate is 77.6 percent, one of the highest rate in the entire league.
In this regard, the Warriors have to feel good about scoring in the paint thanks to the number of assist per game that allows easy layups and drives. For this reason, despite his excellent percentage, Bell is just the third best player behind Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant.
As shown during Christmas game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jordan Bell looks an efficient finisher in the paint and NBA-ready on the glass, dunking and fighting for rebounds with the best big men of the league.
The rookie, though, is working also under other aspects of the game. In the post, for example, he is one of the best assist men in league, although he does not touch the ball all that much.
Instead of focusing on that, though, where Bell needs to work is the shot from mid-long range, which is currently, still too unreliable.
Bell is finding his efficiency on the other side of the court. He is currently the best rookie, along with with Jonathan Isaac, in blocks with an average of 1.1 per game
And along with OG Anunoby (Toronto Raptors) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), he is leading the plus/minus category among the rookies.
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Defensively, he is the fastest man on the entire roster, and this is very important because when he is on the court with Kevin Durant and Draymond Green he is able to switch with any opponent without creating a mismatch.
The Warriors are dominating the NBA with 8.6 blocks per game -the second place team is the San Antonio Spurs who check in with 5.7. And Bell is following this positive trend of the team.
His block percentage is 43.1, one of the best 30 of the Association, and his defensive efficiency is clear thanks to the third best overall stat at contested shot.
Another impressive number is the opposite defensive rebound, where the Warriors have eight different players in the first sixteen positions. In this ranking, Bell is currently second behind Pachulia, with 28.4 rebounds.
Overall, the rookie has the fourth best Offensive Rating of the entire Association — second best among the Warriors after Stephen Curry — and the sixth best Net Rating in a ranking that hosts six Warriors in first fifteen positions.
Reading these numbers, somebody could think Bell is ready to become a starter, maybe replacing Zaza Pachulia, creating a new super-efficient lineup. The rookie is obviously part of the future of this franchise, but it’s still too early to imagine him as a starter. His role is currently the same as JaVale McGee‘s last year. He is an explosive big man, able to play above the rim and help the rest of the team on defense.
Next: Golden State Warriors: What it Takes to Win the War
Nevertheless, considering all the pros and cons, the best solution for Bell is playing off the bench, helping the rotation and playing an average of 20 minutes per game. The time is on his side and, with Green and Durant teaching him, he could become a new essential piece to the continuation of Golden State’s dynasty.