It is no secret that Jordan Bell is a defensive nightmare. It’s also no secret the Portland Trail Blazers suffer greatly on defense. Could this be the perfect match in the 2017 NBA Draft?
No one helped their 2017 NBA Draft stock more during the NCAA Tournament than Jordan Bell and he is a player the Portland Trail Blazers could use.
Simply put, he was the heart and soul of a Ducks team that made an improbable run to the Final Four.
His dominance was prefaced in the Pac-12 tournament only to be carried into the Big Dance.
Starting with the Pac-12 semifinal against Cal, Bell registered double-digit rebounds in his final seven games. His rebound totals read: 15, 10, 12, 12, 13, 13 and 16. This includes games of defensive rebounding totals of 14, 12 (in the Final Four) and nine.
Defensive rebounding wasn’t his only impact, either.
The forward, again starting with the Pac-12 tournament game against Cal, registered blocks in six of his last seven games. This included block totals of eight (in the Elite Eight) and four (in the Final Four).
In fact, Bell failed to register a block in only six of his 39 games played this season. That’s a meager 15 percent of all games, folks.
There are the infamous missed box outs; while inexcusable, they take Bell’s rebounding prowess out of context. Fighting through tears and accepting responsibility showed nothing but class and character on his end.
Mr. Bell is not afraid of the big moment and the NCAA tournament is a great test case.
Despite offensive tools, Bell still makes the most of his playing time
While Jordan Bell is a defensive monster, his offensive game is lacking.
The forward is not a smooth post operator. He often relies on power moves that can prove very unsuccessful and lead to turnovers.
With a lacking post game, some who don’t know his game would figure he’s got a great touch. But that isn’t Bell’s forte, either. He is a career 18.8 percent three-point shooter, having made three threes on 16 attempts.
The forward did eclipse 70 percent at the free throw line this season, so at least he’s not a free throw liability.
What Bell really relishes on is transition buckets and rim cuts. He registered a 38-inch max vertical at the combine and that is on full display when he plays.
The forward is smart on his transition runs and gets in prime dunking territory instinctively.
Bell also shows hustle on the offensive end; he doesn’t need to run the break to have an impact as he keeps awareness in half-court offense.
The basis of Portland drafting Bell isn’t for a diamond in the rough offensive forward. He is not the next Blake Griffin-type of an ultra-explosive, high-flying forward.
But Neil Olshey needs to take a chance on Bell, period.
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Currently, the former Duck is projected at 33 in the latest DraftExpress mock of the 2017 NBA Draft.
Any team in the late 20s could take reach for the high-flyer and Portland will regret if it’s not them.
A simple way to put is: would you rather see what Bell could develop into than Pat Connaughton celebrate on the bench for another season? (The answer is yes, unless you’re a huge Pat fan.)
Festus Ezeli is as good as gone; I previously highlighted Tim Quarterman’s underwhelming year.
That trio (Ezeli, Quarterman, Layman) makes up the three roster spots that picks No. 15, 20 and 26 would all take.
Is Bell a great bet to take at No. 26 in the 2017 NBA Draft? Would you be that upset if the Blazers took him at No. 20?
Yes. And no, you shouldn’t be.
He may be another Thomas Robinson, which is to say a player who is athletically gifted, but whose offensive disabilities hold him back.
Next: Ivan Rabb's Dive Down Draft Board Good For Blazers
For that I say:
- Bell is a much better defensive prospect, so he’ll be able to impact the floor more than the former Jayhawk, and
- Robinson gave us the greatest block of all time, at least in my mind, so would that really be a bad thing?