New Orleans Pelicans: Jordan Bell is Worth a Look

New Orleans Pelicans: Jordan Bell has some intriguing skills

Bell made the NBA on the strength of his defense, and if he is to make it back, it will be because of his work on the defensive end.

Bell is the All-Time leader in blocks at the University of Oregon and was Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, so we know he has some talent as a defender.

Bell has the ability to guard bigger guys, which makes him a fit as a small-ball center at times, which is a role he played somewhat successfully at Golden State.

He’s just 6-foot-8, undersized for a center, but has a 7-foot wingspan, so he can hold his own.

Bell is strong enough not to get pushed around and can run most centers off the floor on the fast break. He’s the type of gritty player that can play lockdown defense and not need the ball.

Bell also has experience that the young Pelicans lack, as he has played in the NBA Finals, and even at just 25, has more playoff experience than most of the Pelicans.

He’s been in the Final Four and the NBA Finals, so Bell has performed on the big stage.

Jordan Bell’s defense and experience are not the problem.

The problem is that he adds next to nothing offensively, has absolutely no range on his shot and isn’t quite quick enough to stay in front of the best small forwards.

Bell is just a 22.2 percent 3-point shooter for his career, so he can’t spread the floor and though he has decent takes to the rim, it’s hard to get by a defender when he can sag off and doesn’t have to worry about a shot.

If you want to be a player who can’t shoot at all, then you better do something else extremely well, and so far Bell’s defense hasn’t been enough to make up for his offensive limitations..

For Bell to have a chance, he has to develop at least a league average 3-point shot. He’s only 25, so he still has time to get better, but he shoots free throws like Shaq, which is not a good sign.

If he could improve as a shooter, Bell could be an intriguing possibility for the Pelicans.