Nerlens Noel's Defensive Flashes Show Making of Bright NBA Future
It took 16 months from the time he was acquired in a draft-day trade for Nerlens Noel to make his NBA debut, but he's wasted no time imposing his defensive will for the Philadelphia 76ers.
As anyone who watched the Sixers last season will tell you, Brett Brown's club struggled mightily to defend the rim. Not only did the Sixers rank 25th in total blocks, but they allowed opponents to shoot 55.1 percent at the rim, which ranked 29th, ahead of only the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to NBA.com's player tracking data.
Devoid of intimidating rim protectors, opponents continually burned Philadelphia by waltzing into the lane, racking up 44.2 points per game in the paint, according to TeamRankings.com.
But with Nerlens Noel patrolling the restricted area, Philadelphia's interior defense has been fortified tremendously.
Just ask Houston Rockets guard James Harden, who was denied emphatically by Noel's right hand on Monday night:
A season removed from owning the league's 26th-ranked defense in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions (109.9), according to Basketball-Reference.com, the Sixers have shaved three points off that total to rank 19th in defensive efficiency through four games.
The reason for that improvement can be traced directly to Noel's presence in the paint.
According to NBA.com, the Sixers entered Tuesday night ranked No. 4 overall in opponent's field-goal percentage at the rim (42.9). The only teams with stronger showings have been the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies, and they all boast elite rim protectors.
As an individual, Noel is limiting opponents to a conversion rate of 42.3 percent on shots inside of six feet, which is rather astounding when you consider the "usual" field-goal percentage on such shots is 58.7, per NBA.com.
The result? Philadelphia now ranks second in total blocks and sixth in paint points allowed per game (36.5), according to TeamRankings.
But Noel's effectiveness as a defender isn't limited to altering shots at the rim.
"Noel’s ability to find a multitude of ways to impact the game from the defensive end is extremely promising, and right in line with the projection of him as a true paint protector," Philly.com's Michael Kaskey-Blomain wrote after Monday's loss.
Four games into his rookie season, Noel is averaging just as many steals (two) as blocks.
Of course, anyone who tracked Noel's brief tenure at the University of Kentucky is aware of his knack for disrupting passing lanes.
So far this season, that dexterity has paid some very real dividends.
Take Monday night's contest against the Rockets, for instance.
"I think he deserves a heck of a lot of praise… I thought he was good, he was in the game," Brown said of Noel's performance against Houston, according to the Sixers' official Twitter account.
In defeat, Noel posted 10 points, six steals and five assists, making him the first rookie center to post that rare combination of final tallies in some time:
Last season, only three players (Andre Drummond, Steven Adams and Spencer Hawes) totaled six steals in a single game, according to Basketball-Reference.
What's more impressive is the myriad methods Noel employs to generate steals.
Utilizing his 7'4" wingspan, Noel has proved capable of disrupting entry passes into the post. But even if he isn't forcing a steal, Noel can momentarily deflect the ball away from its intended target, which results in less than desirable post position for his adversaries upon regaining possession of the rock.
However, Noel isn't limited to plodding in the post like most centers. Instead, he's found ways to impact the game as a transition defender, evidenced by a sneaky third-quarter steal (steal No. 5) of Harden.
Thanks in part to Noel's efforts, the Sixers have already forced opponents into 77 turnovers (No. 2 overall), 40 of which have been steals.
And with Brown's club still searching for ways to consistently create offense, he's stressing progress on defense above all else.
"Defense," Brown said when asked what he wanted to see most from his team this upcoming season, according to CSN Philly's Dei Lynam. "Every little piece, every breath I take it is about that. It is the only way we will do anything of significance is if we just never let it go."
Fortunately, the Sixers can parlay solid defense into bits of easy offense for the time being.
To that point, the Sixers are scoring 16.5 points per game via fast-break opportunities, according to TeamRankings, meaning transition buckets account for a shade over 18 percent of the team's nightly output.
While that's hardly an ideal long-term mode of operation, Philadelphia needs a jumping-off point. And Noel is providing one with gusto.
There will undoubtedly be plenty of down nights littered with growing pains scattered throughout Noel's rookie season, but his ability to provide interior security can't be overlooked, particularly after the Sixers' 2013-14 season was defined by instability in all phases.
So as defense begins to take precedent in the City of Brotherly Love, it's imperative that the Sixers embrace Noel as the player they need to jump-start a stylistic revolution.
All statistics courtesy of NBA.com and current as of Nov. 4 unless noted otherwise.
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