Is Nerlens Noel A Lock For An All-Star Bid?

The Philadelphia 76ers’ prized big-men Nerlens Noel, and Jahlil Okafor do not have the best supporting cast entering this season as it seems Philadelphia has at least one more year in Super-Tank-Mode. Awaiting an abundance of first rounders likely to come their way next summer, Sam Hinkie and friends have not put together anything close to a winning roster for the 2015-2016 season. Rather than grabbing some seasoned vets to come in and glue the team’s glaring holes together, the front office has continued their trod as the NBA’s youngest team.

I took a look at last year’s Eastern Conference All-Star squad, and I came to the conclusion that Nerlens Noel should be a consensus lock for the All-Star team this year. His competition in comparison to the guys fighting for spots out west is much less imposing. The big-men on the Eastern Conference team last year were as followed; Chris Bosh, Roy Hibbert, Paul Millsap, and Joakim Noah. I don’t count LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony because they play a lot of the small forward.

Out of those four big-men I just mentioned, not one of them is a guarantee All-Star this year. Hibbert was shipped to L.A. in the Western conference, and he’s taken a serious step back in production. Chris Bosh is coming back from a serious illness that kept him out the majority of last season, so who knows if he can come back and be the same.

Paul Millsap is much like his counterpart in Atlanta, Al Horford, in that both guys don’t particularly gain a lot of national support playing with the Hawks. Atlanta head coach Mike Budenholdzer preaches a team-first system that doesn’t set up it’s player to be superstars.

Joakim Noah is another guy I’d file along with Hibbert as someone who’s gotten worse as they age. Noah had a rough season putting up career-worst numbers in field goal percentage, total points, and free throw percentage last year. He’s still a great rebounder and defender, but will he be any better than Nerlens in those fields than Noah, especially when he’s slated to come off the Bulls’ bench? Honestly, I think Joakim’s teammate Pau Gasol has a better chance.

So what about the other C/PF hopefuls in the East that didn’t make the team last year? Guys like Jonas Valanciunas, Andre Drummond, Nikola Vucevic, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, Al Jefferson and Greg Monroe will be pushing for a bid just like Noel.

The thing is, Noel has a huge leg up on his competition because he is the unquestioned star of his team, whereas all of the guys I’ve just mentioned (with exception of maybe Drummond and Lopez) are considered compliments to another star on the team. Combine that with the fact that Noel plays in a massive market with plenty of voting fans, and he’s as close to a sure thing as you can get. This is all because of the sheer numbers he has on his side.

For the record if Noel were in the stacked Western Conference, I’d say his chances to be an All-Star were slim, but because the East does not have that kind depth, that plays right into Noel’s hands.

I inspected the stat line that Noel put up this preseason, and he led the Sixers in almost every category. If not for Isaiah Cannan’s quick trigger, and T.J. McConnell‘s drive-and-dish show Noel may very well have been at the top for points and assists too. A quick peek at his Per 36 Minute numbers, and you’ve got quite the nightly stat line.

A double-double per 36 minutes is one thing, but to add several steals and blocks on top of that is crazy. He is the only guy in the East that is capable of filling stat sheets like that on a nightly basis. I do not believe Noel will ever be averaging 25 a game simply because I don’t see him having that offensive potential.

Luckily for him his team just drafted his polar opposite in Okafor, which sets Noel up to shoulder much less of the scoring load. The one aspect I can see holding Nerlens back could be the fact that his team may not have 5 wins before the All-Star Break. I hope his lack of surrounding talent won’t hinder his image. If Noel can manage to sink his free throws, and improve his outside shot a bit there is no doubt in my mind that he will be a part of the festivities in the Air Canada Centre come February. The Sixers haven’t had an All-Star since Jrue Holiday back in 2012, so it’d be nice to see a Sixer rep his squad against the league’s very best.

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Let me know in the comments section who you think is Noel’s biggest competition for an All-Star bid this year? Do you think Jahlil Okafor could make the team despite receiving limited minutes early on, or is that too much to ask?