Golden State Warriors big man Jordan Bell has found himself largely out of the rotation after a questionable preseason left him a third-stringer in a three-man center-by-committee approach under head coach Steve Kerr. The second-year player out of Oregon knows what put him in that spot and plans to mend his wrongs by doing what made his rookie season a successful one.
“I stopped being who I was,” Bell admitted, according to Logan Murdock of the San Jose Mercury News. “In this league, everybody has to be great at at least one thing and I stopped doing the one thing I was great at and I was average.”
Bell came in as an athletic prospect, one who resembled Draymond Green with an unpolished offensive game but plenty of intangibles that boasted plenty of upside as a defender. The 6-foot-9 big man impressed and even logged the mythical 5-by-5 (five in each of the five main statistical categories) in a Summer League game, a feat that had escaped Green himself throughout his six-year NBA career.
Yet in the midst of injuries and a focus on improving over the summer, Bell lost sight of what he was great at and focused on polishing his rough edges.
“You come into your second year, people talk about how this is supposed to be the biggest jump in your career,” said Bell. “I’d never had that. I put in so much time into basketball and nothing else. I didn’t go out, I didn’t party, I cut out junk food, I didn’t drink. So when you put your time into something and put all your eggs in one basket when you come back, you want to see the result.”
Bell came into the preseason looking to show off his mid-range jumper, something missing from his arsenal a year ago. However, he shot just 44 percent, despite finishing at a ridiculous 70 percent when around five feet or closer to the basket.
The Oregon product played less than 10 minutes in each of his first four games, including a DNP-CD against the Utah Jazz. He did have an encouraging sighting in his most recent game, putting up eight points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes against the Washington Wizards.
“It felt good to be out there,” he said. “It sucks when you’re watching the team do damage and you know you can help. But you got to understand how to be a pro and just realize some matchups aren’t right.”
Bell shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor — all close to the basket — making the most of his touches, having figured out the type of play that will get him some run on the court.
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