Golden State Warriors rookie big man Jordan Bell is entering the summer looking to add to his game and get adjusted to the NBA.
On Anthony Slater’s Warriors All 82 podcast, the 2017 second-round pick said he loved the environment around the Warriors organization, more so than many other teams he visited during the draft process.
“I love it. It’s exactly what you’d think it’d be like, Bell said. “Everybody just super chill and relaxed.”
A big part of that environment is Draymond Green, who has help instill much of the basketball culture now present throughout the Warriors organization.
Bell also said that he wants to emulate a lot of what Draymond brings to court, citing that they are both a little undersized for a typical NBA big.
“I’ve already been trying to pick his brain a lot,” Bell said. “Just learn as much as I can every single day.”
Bell said just being around Draymond provides access to NBA knowledge that can help him improve.
“He wasn’t talking to me directly. He was talking to his high school coach after the press went into a room and I was just listening to him talk about it. He was talking about when they ice the screen the defense is automatically two people on one side. If the guy who sets the pick if he runs over, it’s automatically a 4 on 3 on the other side.”
Bell put what he’s learned so far to the test Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Warriors 2017 NBA Summer League opener. He posted 8 points, 4 rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes and 45 seconds of playing time in a 95-93 loss.
At Warriors practice Sunday morning, Bell said he’s starting to see the differences between college basketball and the NBA.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZd6DZnpmmw?ecver=1]“It’s definitely a lot faster than college,” Bell said. “So I have to get used to that.”
He’s noticed the game is different for big men moving towards the hoop, where there are no longer defenders waiting in the paint because of the NBA’s defensive 3-second rule.
“The floor is so much more spread out,” Bell said. “Can’t just sit in the key on defense and you have shooters all around.”
Bell has also spent some time with another NBA star since the NCAA tournament.
“Paul George. I’ve just been working out with him a lot this spring and summer,” Bell said. “We have the same agency so he was up there every day working out with us.”
Bell said he’s done some one-on-ones and drills with the new Oklahoma City Thunder forward, but is looking forward to a chance to guard him in a five-on-five setting.
As a younger player, he also developed a relationship new Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson.
“When I was a little bit younger, I used to talk to Taj Gibson a little bit. He’s a similar size, plays somewhat similar,” Bell said. I learned from him at a young age. He helped me out, tried to make the game simpler for me.
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