Jordan Bell talks Draymond, Dragon Ball Z, and dunk celebrations

Sharrief Metoyer remembers the first time he met Jordan Bell, as an incoming high schooler at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California.

"He was pretty quiet, unassuming, and didn't say much," Metoyer told theScore. "But he was listening."

Immediately, he saw a player with immense potential on the court, but someone who needed guidance. Metoyer became not just a head coach to Bell, but a father figure. He drove Bell to school, talked to his teachers about his grades, and disciplined him when necessary, like the one time he punished Bell for getting into an argument with a coach by making him run a mile at the school track as punishment.

"I knew the alternative and what his other choice would be if he wasn't disciplined enough," Metoyer said. "There aren't a lot of options for younger people who don't get a basketball scholarship and don't want to go to college and have to get a job. I thought he had far more potential than that."

On the court, Metoyer saw an elite defensive prospect. It was something Bell gravitated toward from an early age.

"People had more skills than me," Bell told theScore. "So I got in where I fit in. People don't really like to play defense, but I get a lot out of doing it."

He continued to improve in high school, playing Guitar Hero and joining the volleyball team to help with his timing on the defensive end. After a successful three-year college career at Oregon which included a trip to the Final Four last season (Bell was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year), he and Metoyer were together on draft night this past June, waiting for the 23-year-old forward's name to be called.

"We were just sitting together," Metoyer said, "just waiting for the call." There was disappointment as 30 names were called in the first round and Bell remained on the board. When he found out Chicago took him with the 38th pick, he was relieved. Minutes later, he found out Golden State traded for his draft rights.

The relief turned to jubilation.

With the Warriors, Bell would get an opportunity to soak in all the lessons from a championship team, but especially from Draymond Green, a player he looked up to, emulated, and studied game tapes of while at Oregon.

Less than an hour after the draft selection was announced, Bell and Green talked on FaceTime. The two spent part of the summer working out together. Their lockers are next to each other.

Bell refers to him as both a mentor and tormentor.

"Every time the shower is not on, or if the towels are not ready, he gives me a look," Bell told theScore.

Green has also spent the entire season nitpicking Bell's outfits, down to pointing out when his socks don't match or if he forgets to wear a belt.

When it comes to basketball, Bell knows the value of having players like Green and Andre Iguodala from whom he can glean knowledge.

"If the coaches aren't sure how to defend certain players or certain plays the other team is running, they call on Draymond and Andre," Bell said. "They're the anchors of our defense. Just having people around you who embrace defense as much as you do, if not more, is a good thing to have."

It's easy to see the similarities between Green and Bell, both second-round picks who were overlooked on draft night. The two also share the same brash confidence on the court. In a game earlier this season, Bell made a layup against the Bulls and made a gesture referencing Chicago's draft-night trade of him for cash considerations.

"It was never a chip on my shoulder," he said. "The Bulls made it clear they didn't want me, and the Warriors did. People just kept talking to me about it when we played them that day, and I kind of fed into it."

The one similarity the Warriors are most intrigued by is the fact Bell, like Green, can play the center position in smaller lineups and has the flexibility to guard multiple positions. It's why, even on a team with championship aspirations and a roster that includes Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Green, Bell has started 11 games as a rookie so far.

Bell, with his 6-foot-11 wingspan, has flashed the potential of being an elite defensive player. Per NBA.com, when Bell, Durant, and Green have been on the floor together, the Warriors have a +21.6 net rating, holding them to 91.4 points per 100 possessions.

His minutes have fluctuated throughout the season, though - the tradeoff of being a rookie on a really good team.

"It's good and bad," he said. "The good is I get to learn from all of these great players who have won MVPs, won Defensive Player of the Year awards, been first-team and second-team All-Defense, all of that stuff. I get to learn a lot instead of having to just pick it up by myself. On the other hand, I know these (other rookies) are getting more experience playing. It's a give-and-take."

He was quick to add, "I'd rather have my situation than theirs, though."

Metoyer and Bell have kept in touch throughout this season.

"He's allowed me to be a part of his journey," Metoyer said. "Sometimes you have kids who fight their help and assistance that you're trying to provide and support. He never did; he never fought it, he embraced it, and that's why I continue to try and support him."

"I wouldn't be the player I am now if I didn't play for him," Bell said. "He pushed me to be the toughest dude on the court."

Aside from talking about basketball, lately Bell has been trying to explain something to Metoyer.

"He's a huge 'Dragon Ball Z' fan," Metoyer said. "He's tried to explain it to me - the characters, the show, everything - but it's like a foreign language to me."

Asked to compare his teammates to Dragon Ball Z characters, Bell made the following comparisons: Green as Vegeta ("That's easy," he said), Durant as Goku ("All Kevin wants to do is hoop like how Goku just always wanted to fight," Bell explained), Thompson as Gohan, and Curry as Frieza ("That doesn't even make sense, but when I think of Steph, I just think of Frieza.").

With the playoffs approaching, Bell understands what his role will be. "Being a finisher around the rim," he said. "Making the right reads or making the right pass. Defensively, be able to switch on all screens and just be a presence on the inside."

The Warriors won't need much more than that from Bell to compete for a championship, although if he gets a timely dunk in the postseason, might we see a Dragon Ball Z celebration?

"Oh, we definitely will," he said. "I'm just waiting for that moment, to dunk on somebody, get that and-one, and just power up."

Alex Wong is an NBA freelance writer whose work has appeared in GQ, The New Yorker, Vice Sports, and Complex, among other publications.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)