When Oregon squared off against Cal on Thursday, it was widely considered that future NBA lottery pick Ivan Rabb would face tough competition.
To challenge the talented sophomore from Cal, Oregon head coach Dana Altman had Jordan Bell, Chris Boucher and Roman Sorkin to defend and attack Rabb.
The matchup drew interest from five NBA scouts, including a representative from the 2015 NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
What the scouts and fans attending the game got instead was an all-around dominate performance by Bell. Bell, Oregon’s dynamic and energetic junior, posted a career-high 26 points (11-12 shooting), grabbed six rebounds and recorded four blocks to lead the Ducks to a 86-63 victory, the team’s 15th consecutive win.
“He’s never been a scorer but we thought that part of his game would continue to develop and it is — there’s still a lot more,” Altman said. “We knew that he would grow into a much better offensive player because of his athleticism and he’s really worked at it.”
More impressive than his breakout offensive performance was his all-around defense. Not only did the 6-foot-9 Bell limit 6-foot-11 Rabb to four points and six rebounds on 2-10 shooting, he also switched out to guard Cal’s shifty point guard, Charlie Moore.
“It’s pretty impressive what he can do,” Oregon guard Casey Benson said. “It helps out so much when he can switch out onto a guard and defend them one-on-one with no help. He’s so versatile on that end of the court and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Bell is an interesting NBA prospect. While some NBA draft boards have him going in the second round, he wasn’t really considered a prospect until this year.
Going into his junior year, many knew Bell for his athleticism. He could defend but too often got in foul trouble trying to block every opponent that came into the lane. All summer, Bell worked on his offensive game and became more disciplined on the defensive side of the ball.
“Last year, it was really unfortunate because he had the foot [injury] so he didn’t get any work in the offseason,” Altman said. “He missed the first 10 games and had two surgeries so he didn’t get the chance to make that jump between his freshman and sophomore years. But this year, he was healthy and has put more time in.”
Bell made three consecutive plays late in the Cal game to help the Ducks before a national audience on ESPN2.
First, he set a hard screen for Tyler Dorsey and then rolled to the basket perfectly, collecting the pass and throwing down the dunk. When Cal came back on offense, Bell switched out onto a 3-point shooter and blocked his shot into the stands. After that, Bell stole the ball and went the length of the court, showing off a nifty euro-step for the layup.
“It’s definitely been a progression for him on the offensive end but we all knew he had that talent,” Benson said. “He’s patient with the ball, very crafty. … When he’s hitting jump shots and getting out in transition, he’s near impossible to guard.”
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