Bell needs to step it up | Page 2 | Syracusefan.com

Bell needs to step it up

He’s improved in every phase. Rebounding, defense, puts the ball on the floor, drives to the basket, etc. things he rarely did. Even has had a couple real nice assists each game. He’s not just a stand still shooter.
He is a losing basketball player if he plays a starring role.

Youngstown State University was going AT him. With a guy who played at Toledo and hasn’t averaged above 7 ppg for his career. He had 26. And apparently Bell didn’t read the scouting report that he was a lefty.

On a scale of 1-10, Bell’s rebounding, defense, and everything but his shooting were all basically 1 or 2 the last two years. You say he’s improved? Ok, he’s improved to 3 out of 10 in those categories. He still isn’t nearly good enough.
 
He is a losing basketball player if he plays a starring role.

Youngstown State University was going AT him. With a guy who played at Toledo and hasn’t averaged above 7 ppg for his career. He had 26. And apparently Bell didn’t read the scouting report that he was a lefty.

On a scale of 1-10, Bell’s rebounding, defense, and everything but his shooting were all basically 1 or 2 the last two years. You say he’s improved? Ok, he’s improved to 3 out of 10 in those categories. He still isn’t nearly good enough.

You’d have a point maybe if #3 had scored 26 vs Bell instead of 12.
 
You’d have a point maybe if #3 had scored 26 vs Bell instead of 12.
If you would like me to go review the tape and point out all of the times Youngstown State, members of the 20th best conference in America, made a concerted effort to attack Bell and single him out I would be happy to. Devo called him out on several occasions for lack of attention to detail on the scouting report.

Bell has improved from a terrible overall basketball player to a below average one. That still is not good enough for a critical position on our team, and does not warrant playing 30+ minutes per game.
 
If you would like me to go review the tape and point out all of the times Youngstown State, members of the 20th best conference in America, made a concerted effort to attack Bell and single him out I would be happy to. Devo called him out on several occasions for lack of attention to detail on the scouting report.

Bell has improved from a terrible overall basketball player to a below average one. That still is not good enough for a critical position on our team, and does not warrant playing 30+ minutes per game.

Go ahead. Bell nor any particular player was “singled out”
 
He’s good enough to do more than shoot, especially when he’s shooting badly. Its all attitude. Toughen up and show the will to win. Its not just about individually playing well.
 
We are currently shooting 25% from deep as a team which simply isn't sustainable. I'm hoping this is just a statistical anomaly and that number will normalize to around 35-37%.

Same with free throw shooting which is just a miserable 63.6%. Have to get that into the low 70s as a team.
 
We are currently shooting 25% from deep as a team which simply isn't sustainable. I'm hoping this is just a statistical anomaly and that number will normalize to around 35-37%.

Same with free throw shooting which is just a miserable 63.6%. Have to get that into the low 70s as a team.
I'm not seeing how this team shoots the 3 well? Bell and JJ, yes. If Freeman shoots 30% that's a win, probably need him more around the basket. Davis' shot looks ugly and he's better around the basket. Taylor seems to be rushing his shot so far. Moore has a lot of upside. That gets us to three reliable shooters at most. Not ideal in today's game.

Our free throw percentage can only go up. What happened to JJ's free throw form???
 
I'm not seeing how this team shoots the 3 well? Bell and JJ, yes. If Freeman shoots 30% that's a win, probably need him more around the basket. Davis' shot looks ugly and he's better around the basket. Taylor seems to be rushing his shot so far. Moore has a lot of upside. That gets us to three reliable shooters at most. Not ideal in today's game.

Our free throw percentage can only go up. What happened to JJ's free throw form???

Yeah, the hitch in JJ’s J is gone -
and apparently moved to his FT shooting.

What in the actual hell even is that??

He’s got like TWO bizarre hitches in his FT’s, where he not only pauses, but also seems to move his whole shot mechanics to the L side for some unknown reason??!!
And then it looks like a set/push shot.

It’s truly bizarre.

Dry Rub looks like he recently attended the AO School for Bricking FT’s.
 
Wait are people pretending Youngstown State wasn’t basically going at Bell 1-1 and putting him on the island the whole game?

That’s what some are trying to say even if it wasn’t true.
 
First, I'm surprised that Bell isn't all world since I was told all his problems were because he was playing with Judah and Benny and the other malcontents on team Cobra Kai last year.

Second, he cannot play defense. That ship has sailed.

Yeah, he may be able to dribble a bit more than last year, when he was a two-dribble player. He may be a four-dribble player now. Congrats. It's his third year.

He is what he is. He had 9 points on 13 shots yesterday and, again, cannot play D.

It's over.

[EDIT: I have to note, I was super bullish on Bell making a leap this year. I have to take the L on that]
 
I'm not seeing how this team shoots the 3 well? Bell and JJ, yes. If Freeman shoots 30% that's a win, probably need him more around the basket. Davis' shot looks ugly and he's better around the basket. Taylor seems to be rushing his shot so far. Moore has a lot of upside. That gets us to three reliable shooters at most. Not ideal in today's game.

Our free throw percentage can only go up. What happened to JJ's free throw form???

Every single player on the team has shot better for their career than the teams current three point percentage. (Well, I guess Lampkin hitting his only career attempt is a positive.)

Reverting to the mean doesn't mean they'll be great going forward, just that they won't be this bad.

If Bell alone had shot his career average, we'd have scored 3.33 points better per game... Also, Bell shot far lower volume of threes than last year, in exchange for more twos.

If those extra twos aren't dunks, but designed two point jumpers by Bell, the strategy is going the wrong direction. If it's because Bell just hasn't gotten hot from three so far, we can expect a breakout any game now.

I like the idea of using our interior size to bully boy smaller teams, but there isn't going to be much of that going forward. Every ACC team has players that can at least compete with Lampkin physically, and Davis, Freeman and Majstorovic aren't unusually large physical specimens in major college basketball.

We will shoot better on threes, and that has to be led by Bell, Starling and to a lesser extent, Freeman.

I feel a Bell Barrage coming against Texas.
 
Go ahead. Bell nor any particular player was “singled out”

Agreed. They didn't single anybody out. To me that would mean they attacked Bell no matter who he was guarding. But they did the opposite, they ran their offense through Farmer early no matter who was guarding him, and Gillette late (same situation).

Bell was guarding Farmer because he is our best wing defenser. Now, you can say Bell isn't good enough to be our best, and I wouldn't argue with that. This isnt a good defensive team. But Bell got the hardest job and stuck with it because when Taylor took over he got fouled out in under 20 minutes by the same guy.

We do need Bell to hit shots. Precisely because we need to shoot well and score a lot most games because our D isn't good. This game was interesting in many ways to me. In some ways it was our best game and in others our worst. Going to double OT with Youngstown St is bad, but the defensive rotations were undeniably better, unfortuthey found ways to score anyway. In the end what interested me most was that this team did have another gear they went to in both OTs (a couple fade away 3s and a couple unearned free throws cut the lead in the first OT but they were a level above). This is good, they need to have a another gear now that they are up against better competition. Let's see if they can sustain it.
 
Go ahead. Bell nor any particular player was “singled out”
I Agree he wasn't singled out, but the problem I have with Bell is he is athletic enough to do all the things he doesn't do well. He is big enough and quick enough to be a good to great defender. He also is big enough to be a good rebounder. He also has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive.
He also has shown the ability to set his teammates up with a good pass.
This is his 3rd year, he needs to utilize all that talent and become a complete player.
If the light switch turns on sometime he can make it in the NBA.
 
If Bell isn’t knocking down 3’s there’s really no reason to have him on the floor. He’s so limited at all other facets of the game.

If Bell isn’t shooting well I’d rather see is run with a lineup of JJ, Choppa, Davis, Freeman and Lampkin. Honestly, that may be our best lineup.
 
He’s perfectly capable of defending well when he tries. The problem is he doesn’t try often on the defensive end.
I don’t believe that. It’s more likely he is perfectly capable some of the time. I don’t think he deserves the excuse of “not trying” when he plays poor defense.
 
He’s improved and expanded his game in all phases. He’s just not shooting it well right now from 3 which is the least of my worries.
Take that common sense and leave this place right now.
 
I don't find it funny when one of our supposed leaders plays like he did today. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Couldn't defend. He played like crap. I dont find that funny.
Well, it certainly isn’t serious. It’s college basketball.
 
Well, it certainly isn’t serious. It’s college basketball.
agreed. It just frosts me that this kid has so much talent but doesn't seem to have the desire. My sense is he has been coddled too much when he should have been challenged. He would be better off with a mentor coach like Fran than Red.
 

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