Why no love for Bell?

[Snowball the Pig]

Over the last few days I've seen multiple projections and heard several radio hosts talk about next year's starting 5/step-up players without any mention of Bell. If he takes a big step forward, or even a solid step, he will be a force next year. I know consistency is the biggest complaint, and rightfully so, but we can't bank on "developing players" without having these type's of jumps. I like MW2 as well but that's another subject

[HawgAdvocate]

Last season was pretty similar to his initial two. Even when given more opportunity, he's not really progressed or improved statistically in any one area since his freshman year. Last season, for example, Bell took a lot of shots (3rd in FGA) for a guy who didn't necessarily play starter's minutes (6th in MPG).

Most of those FGA were low % attempts, as 72% of his total FGA are from beyond the arc. I say 'low % because he only made 37% of all his FGA last season, which was pretty to swallow for a a guy who took so many shots. Far too often, he takes what appears to be ill-advised shots, either too early in the shot clock and/or even with a hand in his face, perhaps showing a bit too much confidence.

Also, to put it bluntly, he doesn't excel at contributing anywhere else on the floor. He doesn't put it on the floor much and create for others. He finished 6th in assists (50), which was next to last among the guards (ahead of only Watkins). Consider that Durham played 200 minutes LESS than Bell did this past season, which equates to roughly a 3rd of an entire season, and Durham still had two more assists on the year than Bell did.

To be fair though, aside from Madden, no one on our team averaged 2+ assists per game. That's a downside of a motion offense though (four different guys on the floor can play PG).

Add in the fact that he doesn't give much effort on the boards (1 per game, 9th on the team), and he rarely ever draws contact and gets to the line (8th in FT attempts).  And then there's his defense (8th in steals)...he just needs to commit to being more than the guy who wants to be Al Dillard 2.0.

[popcornhog]

Last season was pretty similar to his initial two. Even when given more opportunity, he's not really progressed or improved statistically in any one area since his freshman year. Last season, for example, Bell took a lot of shots (3rd in FGA) for a guy who didn't necessarily play starter's minutes (6th in MPG).

Most of those FGA were low % attempts, as 72% of his total FGA are from beyond the arc. I say 'low % because he only made 37% of all his FGA last season, which was pretty to swallow for a a guy who took so many shots. Far too often, he takes what appears to be ill-advised shots, either too early in the shot clock and/or even with a hand in his face, perhaps showing a bit too much confidence.

Also, to put it bluntly, he doesn't excel at contributing anywhere else on the floor. He doesn't put it on the floor much and create for others. He finished 6th in assists (50), which was next to last among the guards (ahead of only Watkins). Consider that Durham played 200 minutes LESS than Bell did this past season, which equates to roughly a 3rd of an entire season, and Durham still had two more assists on the year than Bell did.

To be fair though, aside from Madden, no one on our team averaged 2+ assists per game. That's a downside of a motion offense though (four different guys on the floor can play PG).

Add in the fact that he doesn't give much effort on the boards (1 per game, 9th on the team), and he rarely ever draws contact and gets to the line (8th in FT attempts).  And then there's his defense (8th in steals)...he just needs to commit to being more than the guy who wants to be Al Dillard 2.0.

I think that his perimeter and full court defense improved tremendously last year.

[HawgAdvocate]

I think that his perimeter and full court defense improved tremendously last year.

Certainly, I'm sure it's gotten better. He's clearly been in the program for three years now, and he's honed what he's been taught. He just needs to produce a bit more on both ends if he wants a more prominent role. Each year he starts strong then fades to a reserve role just around conference season, exhibiting the same inefficiencies year over year.

[azhog10]

Bc we suck and the only good players we get are from arkansas or related to CMA.

[Qhog]

No one on the team put it on the floor much and created for anyone except Madden.  And Madden's lack of quickness never really drew many defenders to him which would have opened it up for others.

Bell is a great spot shooter.  37% isn't that bad considering how many 3s he took, and how many were with a defender right in his face.    Some teams did a solid defensive job on him and made sure Bell's defender never cheated off of him.  In those games, Bell struggled and usually missed what forced attempts he could get (although he did make some very tough 3s in some games).  Other opponents seemed to not key on him as much when he entered the game, and when he got open looks he was good before other teams realized they better pay him more attention.

He is a true catch-and-release guy.  If he could shoot or really do anything better off the dribble (drive and finish, drive and pass, etc), he would be much more dynamic.  But, it's hard to see him making that leap b/c that is a huge development step, and there was really nothing changed from Year 1 to Year 3 in that regard to make you think Year 4 will be different.   I think he gives a better effort on defense than most give him credit for, but he's not that quick or gifted there as many have pointed out.

I like Bell, but he's too one dimensional to be a force.  Good player who fits a niche that Arkansas does need.   You could say this about a lot of players, but he really needs other guys to be threats to give him some space outside.

[Iwastherein1969]

I like Bell, but he's too one dimensional to be a force.  Good player who fits a niche that Arkansas does need.   You could say this about a lot of players, but he really needs other guys to be threats to give him some space outside.

any time you can have a guy on your roster who can fill it up from behind the arc, well, that is never a bad thing....too many Hog fans expect Anthlon to go out there and grab 4 boards, dish out 5 assists, make 3 steals, play in your face defense and still fill it up from behind the arc on offense...those guys are few and far between...maybe we should accept the good things Anthlon brings to the court instead of dwelling on his offensive board play or lack of being able to play "lock down defense"...its just not who Anthlon Bell is....will say this, if Bell hits his first shot, better look out the rest of the night, and that, right now, is good enough for me

[The real Hogules]

any time you can have a guy on your roster who can fill it up from behind the arc, well, that is never a bad thing....too many Hog fans expect Anthlon to go out there and grab 4 boards, dish out 5 assists, make 3 steals, play in your face defense and still fill it up from behind the arc on offense...those guys are few and far between...maybe we should accept the good things Anthlon brings to the court instead of dwelling on his offensive board play or lack of being able to play "lock down defense"...its just not who Anthlon Bell is....will say this, if Bell hits his first shot, better look out the rest of the night, and that, right now, is good enough for me

No, I just expect a player who is defined by his ability to stroke the three and for much of nothing else to shoot at a 40% or greater clip.

Otherwise his defensive liability will cost us more than we gain by playing him.
I like Bell, and had hopes that this would be the year that he came into his own.
He's basically the same player he was as a freshman and that's simply not good enough to play much more than he already does.

[opineonswine]

I've always liked Bell.  Plays hard...seems to have a great team attitude.  He's not just a 3 point shooter but I wish he was more consistent. 

[Biggus Piggus]

I like to believe that Bell will get a little better as he gets older and stronger + this might give him a chance to break out as a senior.

[latrops]

Bell is a great spot shooter.  37% isn't that bad considering how many 3s he took, and how many were with a defender right in his face.   

Really, 37% is pretty bad if not complemented by one or more other ways of impacting the game.  You can live with a low fg% if the guy is also a standout defender, or if he is a great ball handler/distributor, or if he is adept at getting to the ft line, etc. 

To be fair, in only 2 more minutes per game, he did double his assist and steal totals.....not to such an extent that he should be considered an ace distributor or defender, but it is significant progress.  Still, for him to positively impact games, he is going to need to hit more shots.  His 35% from three is OK, but simply not good enough if that is supposed to be the "strength" of his game.

[spahoopsfan]

No, I just expect a player who is defined by his ability to stroke the three and for much of nothing else to shoot at a 40% or greater clip.

Otherwise his defensive liability will cost us more than we gain by playing him.
I like Bell, and had hopes that this would be the year that he came into his own.
He's basically the same player he was as a freshman and that's simply not good enough to play much more than he already does.

He gets no respect and I don't understand it.  It got labled as a bad defensive player and it has stuck.  People look at his shooting % but fail to realize that a lot of the time on the court he was the only guy that could shoot.  We would have Durham, Watkins, Williams and Kingsley with him.  Who was going to score? 
He is a heady player that doesn't make many mistakes and can shoot better than anyone on the team yet many on this board acted like they wanted Babb, Watkins, or Durham to get more playing time.  Bell won or kept us in many games and is a solid contributor.  Commentators and other coaches gave him more respect than many Razorback fans.

[razorbackchamps94]

Misses to many wide open 3's ..

[hawginbigd1]

Misses to many wide open 3's ..

I agree with this his stroke is 2 good to miss as many open 3's as he does. I said it early and often, his ability to make shots was a key to reaching a high level of success, most of the games he was at 13 to 15 point we won pretty easily, when he was in the 7 or less area we lost or won very tight games. He had the opportunity to hit 2 and maybe 3 wide open shots against UNC that would have turned the tide of that game.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

Misses to many wide open 3's ..

Bell let's too many guys run around him on defense. I remember the game in Lexington where I read Bookers lips on TV And he said to Bell "You going to try to guard me bro?"

[latrops]

One positive for next year is that in addition to Bell, we will also have Hannahs.  It probably doesn't much matter which one starts, if either......whoever is hot on a given night is generally going to get more minutes/shots.  Between the two of them, on most nights we should get decent production out of their 30 or so combined minutes, regardless of who gets what.

[3kgthog]

He gets no love because you can't rely on him. One might call it inconsistency. If he's not catching it and shooting it, he's going to brick the shot. Shooting off a dribble is not his royale with cheese. That kinda limits a player.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

He gets no love because you can't rely on him. One might call it inconsistency. If he's not catching it and shooting it, he's going to brick the shot. Shooting off a dribble is not his royale with cheese. That kinda limits a player.

Why is no one talking about his defensive limitations?
Oh yeah this "system" doesn't care about defense if You don't get a steal off the press and it's so hard to teach man to man defense in this "system" that you guys act like is so hard to learn

[hawginbigd1]

Why is no one talking about his defensive limitations?
Oh yeah this "system" doesn't care about defense if You don't get a steal off the press and it's so hard to teach man to man defense in this "system" that you guys act like is so hard to learn

Probably because his defense was much improved this year.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

Probably because his defense was much improved this year.

LOL... So you go from below average to average? He seemed like a defensive liability or CMA wouldn't run a 2-3 zone in the half court when Bell was out there

[hawginbigd1]

LOL... So you go from below average to average? He seemed like a defensive liability or CMA wouldn't run a 2-3 zone in the half court when Bell was out there

We probably played zone 10% of the time this year, so anyway his defense was as good as Madden's. Madden still played.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

We probably played zone 10% of the time this year, so anyway his defense was as good as Madden's. Madden still played.

Madden was a veteran that's why he played alot.

[hawginbigd1]

Madden was a veteran that's why he played alot.

Yeah that is kinda my point, there is a role for that type player on our team, but probably not for both your guards, which is why i liked the change to Beard starting. Thought we needed to not have Madden and Bell together at the top of the defense as much as possible. I really believe Bell is > than Madden on defense however.

[Big Nasty 34]

Madden is also cousins to one of the best high school players in the country lol.

[jackflash]

I like Bell. But his playing will depend on how well he shoots

[spahoopsfan]

Bell let's too many guys run around him on defense. I remember the game in Lexington where I read Bookers lips on TV And he said to Bell "You going to try to guard me bro?"

You must be a hellva lip reader.  All of our players let guys run around them on defense.  We didn't have a single player that was what I considered quick. We don't have a player on our team with good inside moves.  Therefore, you have to have players that can shoot next year.  I think our inside players will be best off putting back misses more than creating their shot on the inside. DH and Bell are going to be very important to our success next year and we will be a lot better with them then without them.

[hawgwild child]

Last season was pretty similar to his initial two. Even when given more opportunity, he's not really progressed or improved statistically in any one area since his freshman year. Last season, for example, Bell took a lot of shots (3rd in FGA) for a guy who didn't necessarily play starter's minutes (6th in MPG).

Most of those FGA were low % attempts, as 72% of his total FGA are from beyond the arc. I say 'low % because he only made 37% of all his FGA last season, which was pretty to swallow for a a guy who took so many shots. Far too often, he takes what appears to be ill-advised shots, either too early in the shot clock and/or even with a hand in his face, perhaps showing a bit too much confidence.

Also, to put it bluntly, he doesn't excel at contributing anywhere else on the floor. He doesn't put it on the floor much and create for others. He finished 6th in assists (50), which was next to last among the guards (ahead of only Watkins). Consider that Durham played 200 minutes LESS than Bell did this past season, which equates to roughly a 3rd of an entire season, and Durham still had two more assists on the year than Bell did.

To be fair though, aside from Madden, no one on our team averaged 2+ assists per game. That's a downside of a motion offense though (four different guys on the floor can play PG).

Add in the fact that he doesn't give much effort on the boards (1 per game, 9th on the team), and he rarely ever draws contact and gets to the line (8th in FT attempts).  And then there's his defense (8th in steals)...he just needs to commit to being more than the guy who wants to be Al Dillard 2.0.

What he said

[intelligence]

He was a 2star shooting specialist out of hs, known to choke in big moments and dissapear vs good competition. Maybe he is able to overcome that in his senior season. We know he's got the shooting skills

[Nipsey Mussle]

I like Bell and he's shown good character and he played harder this year. That said, Jump Ball has shown him love without results for quite a while. Bell is an incredible shooter on Hogville, but he hasn't really shown that otherwise.

[Big Nasty 34]

We need a consistent Bell all year long that can shoot 3s and take pull up jumpers. Hannahs should bring more consistency too. Hopefully they can keep us in games.

[nwahogfan1]

Over the last few days I've seen multiple projections and heard several radio hosts talk about next year's starting 5/step-up players without any mention of Bell. If he takes a big step forward, or even a solid step, he will be a force next year. I know consistency is the biggest complaint, and rightfully so, but we can't bank on "developing players" without having these type's of jumps. I like MW2 as well but that's another subject

Because to me Bell has not improved his game to help himself play more minutes when his shot isn't falling.  If he will come back wanting to be the best defensive/ best rebounder/best ball handler he can be then he would get more minutes and we would get off his case and he would get more minutes.  It is up to him but I don't see it happening or it would have happened before now.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

He was a 2star shooting specialist out of hs, known to choke in big moments and dissapear vs good competition. Maybe he is able to overcome that in his senior season. We know he's got the shooting skills

A friend of mine is an assistant coach in the southland conference and told me he didn't like Bell at the southlamd level when he was a 2 star recruit out of Memphis. He said Bell exceeded his expectations already. So we will see if he has maxed out his potential next year or not.

[Biggus Piggus]

Because to me Bell has not improved his game to help himself play more minutes when his shot isn't falling.  If he will come back wanting to be the best defensive/ best rebounder/best ball handler he can be then he would get more minutes and we would get off his case and he would get more minutes.  It is up to him but I don't see it happening or it would have happened before now.

This is just wrong. Bell has improved his game by a great margin. He didn't have any defense and didn't pass the ball to begin with. Now he is good enough to not hurt the team most of the time. Let him get a little older and stronger. Rebounding, he's never added anything there. Maybe that will come next.

[nwahogfan1]

This is just wrong. Bell has improved his game by a great margin. He didn't have any defense and didn't pass the ball to begin with. Now he is good enough to not hurt the team most of the time. Let him get a little older and stronger. Rebounding, he's never added anything there. Maybe that will come next.

You are a lot more patient than me with his learning curve.  He is going into his Senior year and still playing defense, rebounding, taking bad shots to me like a Freshman. Generally  he is not helping the team except when he is hot a few times a year. Not much has changed since his Freshman year.  If he comes in the game and misses his first 2 or 3 shots Mike takes him out because he doesn't add much to the team.  I think Whitt will greatly surpass him.  He is not a quality SEC player.  That was what I was trying to say with out being blunt.

[Kevin]

If he was a consistent shooter then he gets love.

[intelligence]

A friend of mine is an assistant coach in the southland conference and told me he didn't like Bell at the southlamd level when he was a 2 star recruit out of Memphis. He said Bell exceeded his expectations already. So we will see if he has maxed out his potential next year or not.

I'm no expert but i'd say i could agree with that statement. In his freshman season i was amazed at his shooting form, and thought "no way this guys a 2 star". Here's to hoping he goes out with a bang next season.