How Jordan Bell signing helps Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have officially signed Jordan Bell after converting Juan Toscano-Anderson to a standard NBA contract and bringing Bell back on a two-way deal. How will the former Dubs help them this time around?

Jordan Bell has made a not-so anticipated return to the Golden State Warriors. How can the young forward help the team this season?

Bell was drafted with an odd amount of hype for a mid-second round pick. He was dubbed ‘the next Draymond Green’ because of the physical attributes he shared with Dray — but the comparisons ended fairly quickly as Bell flamed out in just two seasons. Apparently, Green truly is a one-of-a-kind prospect, who would have thought?

However, this shift in expectations is the first reason Bell has a better chance of succeeding this time around in Golden State. He is no longer viewed as a diamond in the rough or a humongous steal in the back of the draft by a front office that is ‘lightyears ahead.’

Instead, Bell is simply being asked to provide some much-needed relief to a short-staffed Warriors’ roster. Having anyone available to play, even a player with an underwhelming track record, is valuable to this team that is only playing eight men every night.

What’s more, Bell has some level of understanding of what the Warriors want to do each game. He’s been in Steve Kerr’s system before – and although he wasn’t elite, his prior experience will be helpful.

Bell’s rookie season was his most successful, posting 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in just 14.2 minutes of playing time. However, despite shooting 62 percent from the floor, he shot zero percent from the 3-point line and is just 4-of-20 from deep in his career.

His limited shooting has restricted Bell’s productivity at the NBA level. Unlike Green, Bell is not nearly good enough at other aspects of the game to make up for his lack of spacing.

Yet, the fact remains that Bell is an athletic, albeit undersized, forward with great strength and versatile defensive abilities. There have been questions around his effort and execution but this could serve as one final chance for Bell to carve out a role in the NBA.

With multiple Dubs players on the reserve list, having an extra body will help them avoid exhaustion as we approach the final week of the regular season. I wouldn’t expect Bell to make any significant contributions but anything can help the Warriors at this point.