APRIL 18, 12:20pm: As expected, Bell announced today that he has decided to enter the draft and hire an agent (link via RiseLongBeach.com).
APRIL 17, 12:00pm: According to a tweet from Bell, he has not yet made the decision to enter the draft and sign with an agent. Charania has a solid track record and hasn’t changed his initial story, so I’d still expect the Oregon big man to go pro, but it’s worth noting that it’s not official yet.
8:16am: Oregon power forward Jordan Bell has elected to put his name in the 2017 NBA draft pool and will sign with an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. According to Charania, Bell held meeting with agents in the past week and finalized his decision over the weekend.
Bell, 22, saw his stock rise after a terrific NCAA tournament performance, in which he recorded double-doubles in four of five games for the Ducks. After averaging 10.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 2.1 BPG during the regular season, Bell increased those marks to 12.6 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 3.2 BPG in the tournament, helping to lead Oregon to a spot in the Final Four.
Currently, the 6’9″ junior ranks 39th on Chad Ford’s big board at ESPN and 41st on DraftExpress’ top 100. In his analysis, Ford suggests that Bell looked like a possible second-round pick a month ago, but after his strong showing during Oregon’s Final Four run, there’s speculation that his defensive upside could make him a late first-round pick.
Bell joins teammates Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey as Oregon underclassmen going pro this year. Here’s our full list of early entrants so far.
Don’t blame the kid for leaving, but what happened against UNC should question whether he can hold his own against NBA players.
^ let’s just ignore what he did vs Kansas…