Holy shit! I've been on the Noel bandwagon since before the season started. I really wish we could have gotten him a month ago when PHI was jerking him around and refusing to play him. He was absolutely huge in that game, and he was going against a front line of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. He had a huge 4th quarter, at both ends of the court, as PHI came back for the win. I've known all about his athleticism, blocking shots and getting steals, but his passing in that game really impressed me. Maybe not Mason Plumlee good, but he looks like a very willing and capable passer. Damn, I wish we could have gotten him sooner when his stock was low. BNM
Noel would be a great rim defender to sign especially for a Blazer team, that cannot get it done in the 4thQ. The Sixers beat the Clips without Okafor. Their win will either be a momentum generator or a blip on the radar for January 24 only.
They didn't have Okafor or Embiid. Nerlens Noel is only 22. He won't even turn 23 until April 10th. That was his first start of the season. His defense is not just about blocking shots. Due to his length, quickness and active hands, he's also a great pick-and-roll defender who gets a lot of steals. BNM
Noel hasn't played enough minutes yet this season to qualify for any of the NBA leaderboards, but if he had, his STL% of 4.0 would rank 1st in the league. This should not be a surprise as he was 6th in the league in STL% as a rookie and 5th in the league last season. His Defensive Box Plus/Minus of 3.2 would have him tied for 5th in the league. Again, no surprise there. He was 4th in the league in Defensive Box Plus/Minus as a rookie, and 8th in the league, while being forced to play out of position, in his second season. I have already posted it a dozen other times, he is the only player in the entire league to have at least 100 BLKs and at least 100 STLs in each of the last two seasons. And he did that as a 20-year old rookie and a 21-year old playing out of position. The guy is just a flat out defensive stud, only 22 and his efficient scoring and passing are just bonuses. BNM
@Boob-No-More ....totally agree about his passing. Some of his catches off of lobs were very impressive as was his ability to put the ball on the floor and go around people. It was his passing that caught my attention the most though. Some were just a flick of the wrist, in traffic, to players on the move......if he can do that, he fits here even better than I thought.
It's his P&R defense that most impresses me. He shows hard, and has the mobility to stay in front of fast guards. He makes himself tall.
The problem is I don't think Olshey is even after Noel (hope I am wrong on this but he seems more a Okafor person which makes me puke) but if I was GM I would do everything in my power to bring him here outside of trading Dame or CJ. So our 1st round pick plus salary? Sure (they would want it over CLE's). A 1st and 2nd and contracts? Yep. Crabbe and 1st? Done. Two firsts plus filler? Ouch... that would be my only no.
Last year, at the age of 21 in his second NBA season, Nerlens Noel has an AST% of 10.5. That's not elite, but it's still pretty good for a 21-year old big man. I've been so focused on his defensive game, I really hadn't paid any attention to his passing until watching that highlight video. We've all gotten used to Mason Plumlee's passing, which is truly elite for a big man. Here's a list of all players 6'6" and taller with at least 100 assist and a AST% of at least 23.0. Ad you can see, that puts Plumlee in some pretty exclusive company. But, as a second year player, Plumlee's AST% was only 7.0. As a 4-year player at Duke, he was also three full years older than Nerlens Noel was during his second season. I'm not saying Nerlens Noel will take the same jump to elite passing big man that Plumlee did, but the foundation to be an excellent passing big man is definitely there. I've been pushing hard for the Blazers getting Noel for over 4 months, because his elite defense combined with his age make him the perfect fit to address our biggest weaknesses. Throw in his passing skills and ability to finish at the rim and he'd be the perfect starting center for this team. BNM
His value won't go up until he shows he can do good things while being defended (Boston was mostly leaving him uncovered) and/or he greatly improves his defense. One night of scoring 17 points on (mostly) wide open shots (even his thunder dunks came after he rolled down a completely open lane, because he drew no defensive attention until he was at the rim) isn't going to change his value.
Man I was being facetious. Same thing as getting too high on Noel after one good game where he finally played more than spot minutes.
He makes maximum usage of his length both vertically and horizontally. With all this talk about needing a rim protector, people seem to think that's all Noel is. That could not be further from the truth. He is not a shot blocking one trick pony. He uses he lateral quickness, long arms and active hands to clamp down on the ball handler in the pick and roll and also get a lot of steals and deflections. He is also a quick leaper, which is why he is also an effective shot blocker. I only hope he is still available and we are hot on his pursuit. Embiid is the better all around player, but I actually think Noel is a little better defensively (all things considered). But, his skill set is rendered somewhat redundant by Embiid. If PHI was smart, they would move Noel right now, now that his stock is higher than it was a month ago, for some shooting and ball handling. They can pair Noel with a stretch 4 and bring Okafor off the bench for instant offense backing up both the 4 and 5 spots. Okafor sucks on defense, but of the three, he is definitely the best, most versatile low post scorer. BNM
It's actually really hard to tell when people are being facetious/sarcastic about players on this team and when they really mean it, especially regarding their trade value. To be fair, though, a lot of us have been high on Noel prior to this game--his defensive credentials aren't in doubt, he's been doing great things on the defensive end his whole career to date. His passing could be a fluke, sure, but it looked pretty natural. It's exciting because his upside seemed to be prime Tyson Chandler (which is already a great upside). If he can add good passing, that's tasty gravy.
I wish he was but I don't think Olshey is after Nerlens. Pretty sure Olshey sits this one out till the offseason
The difference is Noel has two solid years, out of two years played, of elite level NBA defense at a very young age. This isn't just people getting too high on Noel after one good game. I've been high on him for over four months, as soon as I heard he might be available. That one game highlight reel is just an illustration of why I've been so high in him all along. BNM
Best to get him now. If we don't, we won't have his Bird Rights, and given our cap situation, we would have zero chance to sign him outright as a free agent. Maybe PHI would do a sign and trade with us, but they can absorb any salary we want to send them now. BNM
