Golden State Warriors: Ranking the team’s center options

4. Jordan Bell

Understand that the sample is small, but Bell leads the Warriors in net rating. They outscore opponents by 28.1 points per 100 possessions with Bell playing, and only 11.1 with him sitting (+17.0 net rating; Stephen Curry is second at +12.6).

Bell was drafted to give the Warriors a viable small-ball 5 other than Green, and he has been just that. His per-36 averages — 12.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.9 steals, 3.2 blocks — speak to that. He’s already an elite chasedown shot-blocker and a quality help defender. He’s also shooting 71.0 percent from the field, although all he does is dunk.

So why is bootleg-Draymond only No. 4, when real Draymond is No. 1 by a mile (this should not be a spoiler if you’ve ever watched the Warriors)?

Of Bell’s 133 minutes, a whopping 41 have come in garbage time, per Cleaning the Glass. That not only cheapens his per-minute production, but also calls his net rating into question.

The eye test confirms that Bell is an impact player. He gets his numbers within the flow of the game, rather than through reckless gambling. Until he proves himself against starters in high-leverage minutes, however, he will be solidly outside of Golden State’s top three options.