The Sixer Sense
Fansided

2015-16 Sixers Roster Preview: The Front Court

By Josh Wilson

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next

Mar 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) dribbles past Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Projections

Despite the fact that the two projected starters of the Sixers haven’t even played a combined 82 NBA games, they’re looked at — at least in the eyes of Sixers fans — to be one of the best NBA front courts out there. I think there’s some leeway in the minds of most fans since Noel and Okafor are both very young, but of course our hopes are high.

What could we expect from this starting front court, realistically? I think for sure, we should be looking for them to be great offensively. Although they’re young, they’re dominant, and know how to score.

With Okafor’s offensive skill set, and Noel’s great blocking, they’re bound to be feared this year.

I believe between the two of them, we should expect 25+ points per game, as well as 5 blocks. With Nerlens already averaging 9.9 points last year, and the expectation that he will improve, I think he could get at least 12 points per game. That leaves Okafor with 13 points to pick up, a goal not all that far out even for a rookie.

Noel got 2 blocks per game, so he will have to up that to get to five blocks between the two of them. As addressed earlier, Okafor will also have to have a defensive mindset change if they’re going to reach that goal.

The bench is important, too, and I think the front court bench should be able to average about 15-18 points per game, assuming that the backups are mainly Aldemir and Holmes.

All things considered, I think we’re in for a good year as far as the front court goes. The main issues revolve around the other aspects of the team.

Next: Sixers Analysis Analytics Adds What Exactly?

More from The Sixer Sense