Mar 11, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) is congratulated by forward Robert Covington (33) after a dunk against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
EXPANDING THE GAME
All of these have been ways Noel can add to the offense from what he’s already been doing, close range games. If he could expand, he opens up an entire new chapter.
As we told you on Twitter yesterday, his shooting percentage drastically changed when he took any shots beyond 10 feet. He seems to be hesitant when he gets the ball out there in shooting situations. He must be more assertive. Again, it’s a learning curve that he will get over, and improve on over time.
Noel shot at 40% up to 10 feet last year but just 29.1% from beyond 10 feet.
— The Sixer Sense (@SixerSense) July 22, 2015
Once he is able to sell himself as a player with range, he can draw the defense out. They won’t abandon him once he leaves the 10 foot range. They’ll stay on him, and he will be able to open up the lane, or open up more opportunities for himself to cut inside and getting back to what he does best: shots in the key.
His backdoor will have an added wrinkle once he can expand. Players will follow him out further, meaning he can more easily distract them, if they are worried about both his perimeter shots and his shots close to the hoop.
All in all, his short range right now is fine, but his offensive contribution could be greatly expanded with more range.
So, that’s the long answer. But the short answer is, yes, of course Noel can contribute to this struggling offense. He does have things of his own to improve, but he’s extremely capable of improving and I’m excited to see him do so.