How Nerlens Noel became the rookie Sixers envisioned
The player who struggled with consistency early this season has become a cornerstone the 76ers thought he would be. In 17 games played in March, his scoring (243 points), rebounding (190), and defense (41 steals, 35 blocked shots) improved dramatically. Only he and Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon put up those numbers in a single month dating back to the 1985-86 season.
The player who struggled with consistency early this season has become a cornerstone the 76ers thought he would be.
In 17 games played in March, his scoring (243 points), rebounding (190), and defense (41 steals, 35 blocked shots) improved dramatically. Only he and Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon put up those numbers in a single month dating back to the 1985-86 season.
His name? Nerlens Noel.
That's right, the Sixers' rail-thin 21-year-old was dominant in the post, hitting his shots, and grabbing rebounds before suffering a right-ankle sprain on Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards.
What's changed?
"Much more aggressive, offensively," Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "Definitely, like driving the ball more and looking to post the ball more aggressively.
"But obviously what he's bringing to the team that made them play better is his defense - his shot-blocking, his length, his anticipation."
The 6-foot-11, 220-pounder has been more durable than most people thought.
Noel missed time with a left-ankle sprain (two games), a right-hip-pointer (one), right-ankle sprain (one), and an upper-respiratory infection (one), and he left the first quarter of another game with a cut to his lower right eyelid. But despite being routinely outweighed by his defenders by 30 to 70 pounds, Noel has played in 75 of the 80 games.
By comparison, Michael Carter-Williams played in 70 of the Sixers' 82 games last season.
And with each game played, Noel improved.
A rookie-of-the-year candidate, Noel is averaging 9.9 points and leads all rookies in rebounds (8.1 per game), steals (1.77), and blocked shots (1.89). He's also the only NBA player ranked in the top 10 in blocked shots (eighth) and steals (ninth).
In addition, Noel joins Hall of Famer David Robinson as the only rookies in NBA history to average 1.50 steals and 1.5 blocks.
"I compare him to [Houston Rockets standout center] Dwight [Howard], right now," Sixers shooting guard Jason Richardson said. "Dwight came in so raw, came in as a defender, rebounder, blocking shots. And as you see right now, [Noel's] blossoming on the offensive end. . . . He has the ability to be where Dwight is now."
Noel's transformation has a lot to do with repetition, improved confidence, and the trade that sent Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 19. Having moved from center back to power forward in late March, Noel again will have a steep learning curve to overcome when he is paired with Joel Embiid next season.
But no one can doubt that he has come a long way since his preseason opener at the Boston Celtics on Oct. 6. He's also light-years away from when he was drafted sixth overall out of the University of Kentucky by the New Orleans Pelicans in June 2013.
By now, most NBA fans know the Sixers acquired Noel and a 2014 first-round pick from the Pelicans in exchange for Jrue Holiday and a second-round pick. At the time, some criticized and even laughed at the Sixers for trading an all-star for an offensively challenged underweight post player coming off a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Some critics thought Noel wouldn't be able to excel in the NBA. In addition to weighing just 206 pounds at Kentucky, he was limited offensively. But that didn't deter the Sixers from making the draft-day trade for a player who went on to sit out all of last season.
"I saw a helicopter blocking shots, just an A-plus athlete running the floor," coach Brett Brown said of the first time he viewed Kentucky film of Noel. "Most definitely from those days, [I saw] somebody who steps to the free-throw line, and I had no idea how he was going to make a shot with his form. His shot was completely broken and required a total rebuild."
At the time, Noel relied on his athleticism because he was not fundamentally sound. As a result, he mostly scored on breakaway and put-back dunks in high school and his lone season at Kentucky.
"When I was at Kentucky, I never took a jump shot," said Noel, who was the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "It just wasn't my strong suit at that point."
However, Brown and Greg Foster, the former Sixers assistant player development coach, began refining Noel's offensive game while he sat out the 2013-14 campaign.
His activity consisted of one-handed shooting drills with Brown and Foster at the beginning of the season. He gradually built up to five-on-five scrimmages by season's end.
The goal was to unveil a mid-range jump shot and improved foul shooting during last year's summer league.
But Noel was inconsistent in the summer league against mostly non-NBA caliber competition. Then he struggled with the speed and physicality of the game in the preseason and the start of the regular season. He was even held scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting in a December loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
"When I first got to playing organized [NBA] basketball, it's a little different [than last season's workouts] because everything is so sped up," Noel said. "Obviously know what you are capable of. But you have to slow your mind down to know you are able to do it in the game. It took a little time."
Noel gradually improved before he started playing at a high level after the all-star break, which coincided with the Sixers' trading Carter-Williams to the Bucks. Before the trade, Noel was often unsure when or whether he would get the ball from Carter-Williams, the Sixers point guard. Now, with Ish Smith playing the point, Noel knows that he's going to get the ball on lobs and on the block.
He's become more assertive since Carter-Williams' departure, and he has gained confidence since the start of the season.
"It's really just his activity level on both ends of the floor that causes you problems," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. "Those are the things that he does well. As he's gotten healthy, he's gotten better in those things."
For next season, Noel will need to improve his perimeter defense, where he's been a liability since switching back to power forward. Right now, he's better-suited as a rim protector than someone who chases around smaller power forwards.
But with the 7-foot Embiid at center, Noel must learn the power forward position quickly. Embiid missed this season to rehabilitate after right-foot surgery last June.
The hope is that Noel and Embiid will develop into a formidable twin towers. But that will depend on Embiid's health and how fast Noel can adjust to power forward.
"There is a little bit of pain with him at the four," Brown said. "I'm getting a clearer picture of how we can make it work better. But clearly there is a development . . . issue now with Nerlens that we have to work on over the summer. I'm excited for that."
This summer's goal on offense is to establish a consistent 18-foot jump shot. On the other end of the floor, he needs to learn to be in the right position while defending smaller power forwards.
The Sixers also want him to bulk up to 230 pounds to help him take more of a pounding and reduce injury. And because he's the team's best player, the Sixers also want him to become more of a vocal leader.
"I see myself developing my game and being able to step out and hit the jump shot and stretch the floor out," he said. "I see myself being able to be an elite forward in this league and being able to play both positions.
"I want to be a versatile player that can be able to do many things on the court."
@PompeyOnSixers
