Ranking the 16 worst Warriors starters of the Stephen Curry era

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Stephen Curry #30 interviews Eric Paschall #7 of the Golden State Warriors after their win against the Orlando Magic at the Chase Center on January 18, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

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Jordan Bell, Golden State Warriors. Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images /

Worst Starter No. 6 – Jordan Bell

Fans of the Golden State Warriors will almost certainly remember Jordan Bell. The 2017 second-rounder out of Oregon was something of a novelty with the Golden State Warriors. He was a defensive playmaker with the strength to play center but the athleticism and agility to execute a switching scheme.

Warriors fans went wild at the prospect of Bell running the court, skying high for alley-oop dunks, then back on defense executing seamless switches with Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant. Occasionally that happened, and the ceiling nearly blew off the top of Oracle Arena.

The problem that Bell wasn’t able to consistently bring that defensive impact, often fouling or gambling for a steal or block and coming up empty. On offense he was a fantastic finisher right at the rim, but any further out and he was helpless. In some ways, he was a more athletic, less skilled version of Kevon Looney, whose rebounding prowess and dependability turned him into a regular starter.

Bell never got there, and he was never elite enough on defense to make up for his offensive shortcomings. One-way bigs were replaceable enough in the eyes of the Warriors, and he wasn’t brought back after the 2018-19 season.

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