NBA Champ Jordan Bell Is Making Strong Case For Return To The Association
After winning an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2018, Jordan Bell is once again banging on The Association's door as one of the G League's leading shot-blockers and most impactful players.
Finding diamonds in the rough via the NBA G League is an exciting and rewarding process for NBA teams. Being able to sneak in and snatch up a prospect who is flying under the radar — only to watch them rise and shine on the big stage — reaps huge benefits and only further validates why the minor league is such an important platform.
On the flip side, if there’s a relatively well known commodity with an NBA championship pedigree banging on the door, how can teams in need resist?
NBA Call-Ups have been abound in recent weeks, and yet veteran Jordan Bell is still arguably the most primed and ready minor league athlete eager for another shot. The 29 year old who won a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2018 has been dancing and prancing in the G League in recent seasons, but there’s no doubt this campaign has been his most impactful yet.
Bell has been a key cog in the Indiana Mad Ants’ success this season, helping them to a 15-2 Showcase Cup season record, and a 10-5 record since. Through 32 combined games, Bell is averaging 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 steals, and shooting 59% from the field. If that’s not impressive enough, consider the fact that Bell is doing all this in just 25.2 minutes per game, often serving as a sixth man while playing behind Oscar Tshiebwe, one of the league’s best Two-Way performers.
The man with no ego also just set a Mad Ants single-season franchise record in blocks with 82, after swatting away 5 more in Thursday’s win over the Motor City Cruise.
As the weeks progress, Bell continues to soar.
Through “regular season” play, Bell ranks fourth in the league with 2.6 blocks per game.
He’s one of just two players in the top 25 in blocks to also be averaging at least 1.4 steals.
Bell is the only one in the top 30 dishing out at least 4.5 assists.
The Mad Ants have now won six of seven games, with their prized veteran averaging 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3.4 blocks, and 1.3 steals.
The proof is in the pudding. The cherry on top is that out of all NBA G League players — the bigger names, the younger prospects, the higher volume scorers — Bell currently ranks third in the minor league in Player Impact Estimate (an advanced stat measuring a player’s all-around contributions) at 16.4.
Bell came up through a winning NBA program immersed in Warriors culture, admittedly battling through growing pains most youngsters do. As he tries to claw his way back into The Association, he’s thriving by doing all of the little things while making a big impact for one of the G League’s best teams. It’s one thing to roll the dice on a promising prospect, but what Bell provides is reliability and the ability to come in and make positive contributions through unselfish play.
It’s hard not to consider him amongst the most deserving of an NBA Call-Up, with his next team standing to gain plenty from a veteran eager to make another mark.