Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from loss to Charlotte Hornets

2. The rook still has a lot of growing to do

Jordan Bell may play a pivotal role in building the future dynasty of the Golden State Warriors, but this game against the Hornets proved that the rookie still has a long ways to go until he’s ready to take the reins from Zaza Pachulia and David West.

Listed at 6-foot-9 and 224 lbs., Bell was the perfect pick for the Warriors. Not only is he incredibly athletic, but he has great instincts defensively, and he’s also proven to be incredibly versatile. His overall skillset fits into Golden State’s small ball system.

He’s played pretty well the past five games, averaging 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.4 steals in just 23.0 minutes of play. He’s also been quite efficient, shooting 55.3 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.

Against the Hornets, however, Bell’s inability to guard the much bigger, stronger and more polished Dwight Howard helped lead to D12’s big performance against the Dubs. Bell not only has room to grow in terms of learning the NBA game, but he also has a great deal of room to grow physically.