Player To Watch: Nerlens Noel
Nerlens Noel has spent much of the 2016-17 NBA season frustrated. Teammate Joel Embiid is getting all of the spotlight, and all of the starting minutes when he plays. Other teammate Jahlil Okafor has also been getting a lot of those minutes too, if none of the spotlight.
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Noel is good, and he knows it, and he wants more chances to prove it. He did just that against L.A., dropping 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, three blocks and just one turnover. That’s a game-changing performance, and one many didn’t know Noel was capable of throwing down.
The reputation Noel currently has is that of a defense-first center, but he did it all against a damn good center in DeAndre Jordan. Noel will certainly start against the Bucks, and Miles Plumlee/John Henson/Greg Monroe will have to do a better job than DeAndre did of slowing him down.
Noel’s per game numbers are nothing special because of the low minutes load he gets, but his per 36 stats speak loudly. Noel averages 16.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per 36 this season. That shows he’s added to his offensive skills in terms of scoring–last year he only managed 13.7 points per 36.