Jordan Bell has had an interesting start to his rookie season — from being the dark horse talent that slipped to the second round of the NBA Draft, to being hand-picked by the Golden State Warriors as they shelled out a $3.5 million bill to the Chicago Bulls to earn his services.
While the college basketball diehards were stoked the Warriors had made a bold move to snatch him, some questioned why the team would spend more than a veteran's minimum on an unproven kid out of Oregon, who hadn't proved himself as a capable scorer at this level.
Fast forward a few weeks, and Bell is getting a rare five-by-five, managing to post five or move in five of the major statistical categories during his showing in the Summer League. Moving even further ahead, Bell is slowly carving himself a niche with the team, playing some spare minutes, but pivotal for a rookie trying to make a name in this league.
Yet one alley-oop to self off the backboard later, and Bell found himself in headlines everywhere — some praising the awareness and audacity and others calling it a hotdog move against a cellar-dwelling Dallas Mavericks team that was already put away for good.
It only took days to realize that Bell's regular stints with the team would soon disappear, logging DNPs like nobody's business in two of the next three games, and most recently in four of the last five — playing a total 17 minutes since Nov. 6.
Fans asked themselves if it was that dunk that put him in Kerr's doghouse, or if it was simply a matter of keeping all players content and engaged within this share-the-wealth system.
To Bell, sitting some of these out is just part of the process.
“It's just the life of a rookie,” Bell told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “That's what Steve Kerr always tells me. It's not because I'm playing bad. Just gotta be professional about it and stay ready. It's like being a freshman all over again.”
Yet Kerr, like the rest of his players, has managed to keep the rookie encouraged and engaged, constantly staying in touch with him through this beginning stretch of the season.
“He talks to me about it every time he sees me,” Bell said. “Lets me know I'm not going to be active. Keep doing what you're doing, you're doing good. But it still f***ing sucks. You're playing well and it doesn't mean anything because you're younger. It sucks, but you got to be professional about it.”
Words of encouragement for the rookie… Coach @SteveKerr 🗣 @1jordanbell pic.twitter.com/Vos87VYH2f
— NBA (@NBA) November 3, 2017
As for Kerr's reasoning, he was as transparent as usual — saying that despite what meets the eyes, it's the smaller details that have become a part of the process.
“He's gotta learn the league, learn personnel,” Kerr said of Bell. “He's gotta learn concepts, defensively. He can be spectacular coming over from the weak side to block a shot, but oftentimes he's late getting to the spot. He may block a shot, but he may not get to that spot and the guy may get a layup. You remember the block, but maybe you don't remember the layup.”
The 22-year-old is not sneaky athletic like his mentor Green, but exuberantly so — able to chase players down for blocks from behind and inhale boards in traffic over players bigger than him. Yet for Kerr, it's all about the fundamentals.
“Whereas right now, if you want to compare, Looney's always in the right spot. He doesn't have the same explosiveness. He knows what's coming before it comes,” said Kerr matter of factly. “JB needs to get to the that point. He needs to anticipate. Looney's got a big advantage. It's his third year. He had some of the same issues his rookie year. It's just a matter of learning. The league is so much different than college basketball.”
Jordan Bell now has a chance to make his first start in the league, as the frontcourt duo of Kevin Durant (ankle) and Draymond Green (rest) will sit out tonight against the team that sold him, the Chicago Bulls — and even for rookies, revenge is a dish best served cold.
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