Jordan Bell is starting at center for the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. It's the second straight game the sophomore big man has started, going back to Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Warriors have rotated who starts at center throughout the playoffs as a result of DeMarcus Cousins' injury in Game 2 of the first round. Draymond Green started multiple games at center against the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets, while veteran Andrew Bogut, signed in March after playing a full season in his native Australia, took over as Golden State's starter in the middle for the first three games after Kevin Durant's injury in Game 5 of the second round. Even Damian Jones, who missed the vast majority of the regular season, started Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
Interestingly, Kevon Looney has been by far the Warriors' most effective non-Green center on both sides of the ball during the postseason. He's yet to start a single game, though, and Kerr is apparently content keeping Looney in rhythm rather than rocking the boat and having him on the floor for tipoff of Game 1. Many assumed Cousins, cleared to play after recovering from a torn quadriceps, might start the Finals opener, but the Warriors are clearly taking a more cautious approach with his return to the floor.
An extremely gifted athlete, Bell has the quickness to switch onto opposing ball handlers and make plays as a roll man in the halfcourt. He's extremely undersized, though, which is a factor to watch given the presence of Raptors starting center Marc Gasol. Bell, even if he wasn't starting, was always likely to play a role in this series, but expect Looney to get the lion's share of minutes at center for the Warriors regardless.
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