Bell proves his worth as a starter
Jordan Bell is working diligently toward his undergraduate degree at Dubs U, and he aced a pop quiz late in the game Monday.
With 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Warriors leading the Cavaliers 95-93 at Oracle Arena, Klay Thompson was trapped and, with the 24-second clock running down, kicked the ball to Bell, who was behind the threepoint arc and hoisted a shot.
That shot isn’t in Bell’s limited offensive repertoire. He doesn’t even really have a 15foot jumper. But he hucked up the shot, missed it, the Warriors got the rebound and
killed precious seconds.
At the next break, teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green congratulated Bell. Had he not taken that shot, instant shot-clock violation and ball to Cavs for an opportunity to tie or win.
“They were just happy I was aware of the shot clock,” Bell said. “I think when Klay had the ball I glanced at (the clock) and saw three seconds, maybe 2½, and he kicked to me, and I knew I had to shoot it, even though I didn’t really want to shoot a three.”
A minute earlier, Durant missed a three-point attempt, Bell rebounded and fed Thompson for a three-pointer and that 95-92 lead.
The game, a 99-92 Warriors’ win, was a big step in the ongoing development of Bell. He started in place of Zaza Pachulia, although Pachulia was healthy and ready to go. Bell played 26½ minutes, including the final 4:21. He had eight points, six rebounds and three alley-oop dunks from Green.
And he was part of the Warriors’ so-big interior defense, which shut down the paint for the Cavaliers.
No, this doesn’t mean Bell has moved into the starting lineup for good. Head coach Steve Kerr said Pachulia will start Wednesday. He said it’s all about matchups, but he’s happy with the way Bell is coming along.
Let’s just say Bell is making more of an impact than was generally expected of the rookie breaking in with an NBA championship team. Kerr said he likes Pachulia’s play early in games, setting the tone with his screens and tough play, and the coach isn’t ready to ask Zaza to pass the torch to the kid from Oregon.
But Monday’s start was a strong show of support from Kerr, and a sign that he’s thinking Bell could be a significant contributor come playoffs time.
Bell is ready to accept any challenge or assignment.
“When I got drafted,” Bell said after the game, “people kept saying, ‘Oh, he’s going to ride the bench, and ride the wave, he’s going to get a ring for doing nothing,’ and I was like, ‘Nah, I want to earn this ring, like everybody else.’ I want to be part of this team so people will be, ‘Yeah, he contributed a lot to this team, he had impact.’ I don’t want to be the guy just riding coattails.”
So he listens and learns. Recently Kerr, who is very careful about criticizing his players publicly, made the point that he’s been urging Bell to run the court harder, sprint, lead the action rather than follow it.
Kerr wouldn’t waste his breath saying that about a player who didn’t matter. Bell matters. He might not be the Warriors’ version of Jimmy Garoppolo, but he’s showing that he could be a real player, maybe the answer to the Warriors’ center position.
To make that leap, Bell will have to listen and learn. He will have to fit into the Warriors’ up-tempo, constant-flow, think-on-the-fly style of play. He will have to be active and smart.
“Well, he always brings energy,” Durant said after the game. “He’s learning every time he gets a chance to play. He’s smart in the pick-and-roll. We want him to be more aggressive. There were a few times tonight in the pick-androll they trapped him in the pocket and he kind of hesitated a little bit. We want him to be aggressive going to the rim and making plays, but he’s learning. He’s making adjustments each possession, and that’s pretty rare for a rookie.”
Sunday was Bell’s ninth start, and by far his biggest.
“Growing up watching the Christmas game was always special,” Bell said, “so it meant a lot to start today.”
A key stat was the assists, the Warriors winning that stat battle 28-12, and that’s with point guard Stephen Curry out. If Bell wants to play, he has to be a big part of the movement and passing. On one play he fed the ball to Green on the high post, instantly broke to the hoop and took a quick return pass for the alley-oop dunk.
Bell’s a good student, and he did well in Monday’s test, but it’s likely that his finals will be in the Finals.