When the Golden State Warriors got former Oregon Ducks big man Jordan Bell via a trade with the Chicago Bulls on draft day, it was instantly seen as a steal for the defending NBA champions. Not only that, many people familiar with Bell’s college career, thought that the Warriors just pilfered Chicago with essentially a clone of Draymond Green.
So far in his rookie season, Jordan Bell is showing just that. Bell is playing in only 8.7 minutes per game but he never fails to make an impact in the limited time he’s on the floor. His efficiency and ability to contribute on various areas are reminiscent of what Green brings to the court. Michael Gallagher of NBC has the following stat line to underscore how productive the Warriors rookie is in his first year in the pros.
This doesn’t come as a surprise for folks who used to watch Jordan Bell play for Oregon. When the Ducks' starting center Chris Boucher missed the Big Dance last March due to an injury, it was Bell who stepped up and held together Oregon’s frontline. He turned plenty of heads in the Final Four matchup against the eventual national champions, the North Carolina Tar Heels, when he stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks.
Coincidentally, both Jordan Bell and Draymond Green were drafted in the second round, and the latter used the fact that several teams passed on him as a motivation to become one of the best all-around players in the NBA today. Bell projects to have the same path taken by Green to NBA stardom if he continues his current performance.