The Sixer Sense
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Nerlens Noel Durability Proves Sixers Risky Moves Can Pay Off

By Drew Corrigan

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82 games later and Nerlens Noel‘s rookie season is complete. To be honest, the season went fast for a 60-plus loss season for the second year in-a-row. Part of that reason is the excitement that this band of misfits caused, especially the leader in Noel. The start wasn’t pretty for him. Then again, we probably expected too much from the 20-year-old rookie after all he went through before his first NBA game.

He entered his inaugural NBA season recovering from a torn ACL at Kentucky. He was out of hoops for almost two years. His experience in college was minimal and now he was in the NBA. The 6’11” foward-center had a lot of rust to shake off on top of all the rawness already there. Noel was more than just a step behind, he wasn’t even walking up the stairs yet.

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The red shirt year gave him a chance to get accustomed to the NBA life and retool a non-existent jumper, but he still had more obstacles to overcome with all the time off. Not to mention, he’s was a 6’11” center coming off an ACL tear that has a game built off athleticism and leaping. Even though youth was on his side, would he be able to be the same shot blocking savant that had fans in a craze in Lexington?

He seemingly quieted all concerns when his first possession during Orlando Summer League was a massive dunk that let the Sixers fans breathe a sigh of relief. Noel had injuries in the summer that caused the Sixers to be extra cautious with Noel and left more questions heading into the 82-game season.

Nov 1, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) takes a break against the Miami Heat during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat defeated the 76ers, 114-96. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off the ACL tear and injuries during Summer League, the main question about the Kentucky product was his durability. Ankle injuries, ACL tear, the entire season off; there was a track full of hurdles for Noel to leap over. But, here we sit at the end of his first season and durability of Noel is the furthest thing from our minds. Noel finished the season with 75 games played, a mark no one thought he would make. I expected somewhere in the 60 game range.

He missed seven games on the year, with three of those coming during the last three games of the year. Besides that three game stint, Noel only missed two games in-a-row on one occasion that came during the first 10 games of the year. Besides that, he was solid as a rock. That lanky 220-pound frame that the fans worried about getting beat up all season turned out to respond well. He might not look like it, but Noel proved to be tough as the people that inhabit the city of Philadelphia. Looks can be deceiving and Noel showed there was more to him than a lanky center that needs to consume a couple pounds of steak in the summer.

The city of Philadelphia expected a solid defensive year out of Noel, but no one expected it to be this good. Forget rookie rankings, Noel was one of the top defensive players in all of the land. My tweeting rampage from the other day should provide some context:

Noel was able to accomplish all of these feats while anchoring a defense that tied with the Boston Celtics for 12th in the NBA allowing 102.1 points per 100 possessions. It’s an amazing feat and big step forward for a team that had nothing to build off last year. This season, Noel stands out as the shining beacon of development.

Who knows what to expect in the future. The pairing with Joel Embiid will be odd enough, especially if Nerlens Noel sits out Summer League. But, let’s not worry ourselves with questions about the future. The fact is that Noel proved a lot of people wrong with his durability playing in 75 games and never missing more than three-straight games.

Above all, Noel proved the Sixers made the right decision by taking a risk on a young, high-upside big with an injury. The Sixers are expecting the same durability out of Joel Embiid next year. ACL’s and foot injuries are on two different planets, but for now, the risk has been worth the reward.