Minnesota signed big Jordan Bell on Friday. Here are a few things you should know about the new member of the Wolves.
What’s His Name?
Jordan Bell.
Where Is He From?
Bell, 24, was born in Los Angeles.
Instead of getting to know Los Angeles (because, let’s be honest, you’ve heard about it a time or two), let’s throw three non-basketball facts about Bell.
- It appears Bell has two dogs, Prince and Koba. The two have a joint Instagram account. You can check that out here. They seem quite cute and have more followers than everyone reading this combined.
- Bell helped lead Oregon to the Final Four in 2017, averaging 10.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Other players to make it pro on that team include Tyler Dorsey, Dillon Brooks and Chris Boucher.
- During Golden State’s championship parade in 2018, Bell wore goggles to block out the haters . . . or to keep his eyes from getting sprayed with champagne.
Bell was drafted with the 38th pick in the 2017 draft by the Bulls and was later traded to the Warriors.
Where Have You Heard Of Him Before?
Bell helped the Warriors to a championship in 2017-18. He started 13 games throughout the season and was a solid role player who rolled to the bucket hard. Per 36 minutes that season, Bell averaged 11.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.
Describe Him To Us
Bell is a do-a-little-bit-of-everything type of big who plays with tons of energy. When you think about a frontcourt with Bell and Karl-Anthony Towns, that athleticism is a scary thing.
Bell can block shots at an elite level and is great as a rim runner. He’s not much of a shooter, but with Towns’ ability to shoot from deep, he doesn’t need to be.
The one unknown for Bell, and it’s a fun and intriguing one, is what he’ll be able to do with more playing time. We mentioned those per 36-minute numbers, but Bell has only averaged 12.8 minutes per game throughout his career. What if he averages, let’s say 25 minutes per game with the Wolves? What will his numbers look like?
He’s certainly an intriguing player with a very talented skillset. We’ll see what he makes of his opportunity in Minnesota.