OAKLAND–There’s something about that 38th overall draft pick.
In 2016, the Golden State Warriors bought their way into the NBA Draft and snagged the 38th selection from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for cash considerations. With that pick, the franchise chose UNLV product Patrick McCaw. In 2017, the Warriors again pulled the trigger at No. 38, shipping $3.5 million to the Chicago Bulls for the rights to draft Oregon’s Jordan Bell.
Last year, McCaw played significant minutes for the Warriors as an off guard, providing the type of all-around value teams dream about from second round picks. If this year’s preseason is any indication, Golden State found another late-round steal in Bell.
The 6-foot-9 forward earned his first start of the preseason in place of Draymond Green on Friday evening and stole the show early on, leaping for rebounds, soaring for an early block and late in the third quarter, jumping right past Golden State center Zaza Pachulia en route to a tip in dunk. NBA preseason games aren’t exactly must-watch theater, and the Warriors’ 117-106 victory over the Kings is just a blip on the league’s preseason radar, but Bell’s performance was the most encouraging sign of the night for a rich team that will continue to roll in the dough.
In 24 minutes on the floor, Bell stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. The Warriors’ other 38th overall pick, McCaw, wound up scoring 15 points and adding three assists.
Bell started Friday in place of Draymond Green, who sat out with a back injury. Green wasn’t the only prominent Warrior who was absent against the Kings, either, as Andre Igoudala was also sidelined by a back strain while Kevin Durant missed the game due to an illness. The three Golden State starters who did play on Friday, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Zaza Pachulia, each played fewer than 20 minutes.
Still, that was plenty of time for Curry to do damage, as the Warriors’ centerpiece flicked in four of his six three-point attempts and finished with 18 points. The two-time MVP also unveiled a sweet 21-foot stepback jumper off of one foot that might be the newest trick shot he’s added to his arsenal.
Thompson, meanwhile, scored nine points and added six assists over his 19 minutes of action. The Washington State alum didn’t play in the second half, and it’s entirely possible he jetted off to go watch his Cougars take on the Cal Bears at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley instead of taking in the waning moments of the preseason in the Warriors’ locker room.
The Warriors were hoping to navigate through the preseason unscathed, but early in the second quarter, free agent acquisition Omri Casspi rolled his ankle and was sidelined for the remainder of the contest with a mild sprain. Casspi figures to play important minutes on the wing for Golden State this year, so his loss could loom larger than expected if the injury drags into the regular season.
If you’re waiting to hear about the most eventful moment from Friday night at Oracle Arena, it didn’t take place on the court. Midway through the second quarter, as the television broadcast went to break, a young woman got down on one knee and proposed to her boyfriend courtside. Though he was a bit stunned, the boyfriend said yes, therefore becoming her fiance. The NBA is so full of joy that even the preseason will melt your heart.