Cal's Chris Bell Did Well at G League Combine, But Not Good Enough

Chris Bell had one good game and one disappointing game, so he did not advance to the NBA Draft Combine

Chris Bell | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Former Cal forward Chris Bell had one outstanding game in the NBA G League Combine in Chicago over the weekend, but it was not enough to get him invited to this week’s NBA Draft Combine.

Bell was one of 44 players who participated in the three-day G League Combine, which included scrimmages, body measurements and athleticism measurements.

Only five of those 44 players were invited to move on to the NBA Draft Combine: Rafael Castro (George Washington), Aaron Nkrumah (Tennessee State), Jacob Cofie (USC), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue) and Bryce Hopkins (St. John’s).

Bell’s physical measurements were not much help.  He was measured at 6-foot-6.75 without shoes and a weight of 192.2 pounds. His wingspan, which is an important quality for the NBA, was 6-foot-8.5, which is only 1.75 inches more than his height. Most players added at least two inches of wingspan from their height, and some were much more.

Bell’s vertical jump of 32.5 inches ranked near the bottom of the verticals by the 44 players.  Two other members of the ACC had impressive vertical jumps, with Florida State’s Robert McCray V leaping 43 inches, and North Carolina’s Seth Trimble measuring 43.5 inches on his vertical jump.

Bell had a disappointing showing in his first scrimmage.  He came off the bench and played a little less than 19 minutes, but he was just 2-for-9 from the field, including 1-for-6 on three-point attempts for five points. He did pull down four rebounds and added a steal, but had no assists and two turnovers in his team’s loss.

Bell was much more productive in his second scrimmage.  He played nearly 20 minutes off the bench in that game and went 4-for-4 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from long range, and made all four of his free throws for 12 points.  He also had six rebounds and five assists with just one turnover to go along with a plus-minus rating of plus-24 in his team’s 30-point win.

Bell’s forte is his long-range shooting, and he needed to be proficient from the three-point line to get attention from NBA scouts.  He demonstrated that proficiency in his second game, but his low percentage from deep in his first game probably ruined his chances for advancement.

He averaged 14.2 points and made 40 percent of his three-point attempts as a Cal senior this season. Bell  converted 15 of 27 three-points attempts -- 55.6 percent – over the Bears final three games.

However, the NBA three-point line is 19 inches farther from the basketball than the college line, and four inches farther out in the corners.

So Bell will not join the 78 players expected to participate in the NBA Draft Combine (73 invited players plus the five that advanced from the G League Combine).