Over a six-game stretch from Dec. 19 to Dec. 29, Jordan Bell scored a total of two points and played a combined 25 minutes.
On New Year's Eve at Phoenix, he racked up 10 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists in 15 minutes. After the win that night, Bell explained the reason for his breakout game.
"Boogie gave me a lot of confidence yesterday in open gym -- me just kicking his ass," Bell told reporters. "It gave me a lot of confidence. I think Steve (Kerr) saw it yesterday, too.
"He saw the confidence was up. So he decided to play me a little bit today."
Speaking of Boogie -- he made his season debut on Friday night at the Clippers. The four-time All-Star registered 14 points (5-for-11 overall, 3-for-4 on 3s), six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. He committed one turnover and fouled out in 15 minutes.
[RELATED: With DeMarcus Cousins back, GM Bob Myers updates Warriors' open roster spot]
Sports
Overall, it was a successful night for Cousins. And according to Bell...
... Bell deserves some love.
From Marcus Thompson of The Athletic:
"Oh yeah. Give me all the credit," Bell said. "I want all the credit. I need it."
Why is Bell taking credit for Cousins' debut? Because he was the one matched up with Cousins in all the scrimmages to get the Warriors' new big man ready to play. And Bell purposefully tried to run Cousins off the court. Bell defended Cousins the whole 94 feet, using his youth and superior athleticism to pressure Cousins. When Bell's team had the ball, he sprinted up the floor to force Cousins to chase him.
All game. Every time. Each play. Bell did his part to get Cousins running.
Here's a good example of Cousins on the move (and keep an eye on how excited Bell was on the bench when Cousins got the ball):
Warriors' first offensive possession = Cousins forcing up a shot inside. He didn't complain to the refs at all and immediately turned to sprint back on defense. It was a good sign pic.twitter.com/zpDCwoPABx— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) January 19, 2019
Bell wasn't in the rotation on Friday night, but he made the most of his opportunity when he entered the game for the final four minutes -- making all three of his shots, plus an assist.
No word on if Cousins is taking the credit for that...
Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller
