Philadelphia 76ers Can Be A Pick And Noel Team

Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center

(4) fakes a pass to guard

(12) past Cleveland Cavaliers guard

(8) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers Can Be A Pick And Noel Team

The pick and roll. A play in basketball that takes advantage of mobility. A basketball play which can open up an easy layup for either a big or the point guard.  Here’s the basics of the play as filmed by  The ‘Tips, Skills, Drills’ series lesson on the Pick and Roll from P.J. Carlesimo, with help from NBA stars Paul George, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.

See the video here:

Source: Tips, Skills and Drills: Pick and Roll

The move is a standard offensive play of professional basketball, and it lends itself nicely for the skills of Nerlens Noel. The two game suspension to Sixer center Jahlil Okafor has created an opportunity to shift the roster to take advantage of Nerlens Noel returing to the five spot. The suspension not only changed the center position, but head coach Brett Brown shifted the entire roster. McConnell was back with the first group at point guard for the first time in five contests, while Isaiah Canaan was moved to shooting guard. Robert Covington slid over to small forward, and Jerami Grant was moved to the power forward spot, freeing up Nerlens Noel to man the center spot. With T.J.McConnell, Noel is perfectly paired to make this move.

Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com picked the rationale for the wholesale roster changes, his tenth different line-up in just 21 games. He’s looking to find the optimal matches. He explains:

"“Mobility,” Brown said. “You become a different team without Jahlil, where you become a little bit more of a pick-and-roll, speed team, and try to complement Nerlens with the appropriate crew. I find, as we’ve talked about, honestly, that’s the challenge right now, the pairings. Who’s best paired up with who? And trying to grow that, and trying to find wins while you’re still developing people.” – Brett Brown as interviewed by Brian Seltzer"

Next: How Returning Players Can Bolster 76ers

With T.J.McConnell, Noel is perfectly paired to make this move. Seltzer points out in his December 6 2015 article that McConnell has handled the ball in pick-and-roll situations 45.3% of the time that he’s been on the court this season. That figure ranks fifth among all NBA players who have appeared in at least 20 games. So let’s look at that pick and roll, but this time, Nerlens is part of the educational video.

The exciting part of this revelation is the fact that T.J. McConnell is just 21 games into the Philadelphia 76ers organization. At this early stage, seeing the young man develop some bonding with anyone else on the Sixers roster is good news. The fact that its Nerlens Noel is pretty spectacular.

"“It’s all about reading the defense. If they’re going to let that little pocket pass go through, I’m going to throw that 10 out of 10 times to Nerlens, and then quarterback the gym and make a play. If they start taking that away, that’s when I start looking for shooters, and then either probing the baseline, looking for that mid-range shot that I shoot. It just kind of comes as a point guard, and as a coach’s son. You just got to be able to read the defense and make the right play. Me and Nerlens definitely have a special connection. He’s just in my ear, showing me film, telling me what I can do better. And I’m doing the same for him. The best thing about him is he listens to what I have to say, even though I’m a rookie.”” – T.J. McConnel"

McConnell is already in tune with the relationship he is forming with Noel, and that is a bond that will benefit both players. Noel has been quoted as saying “T.J. is definitely one of the most communicative point guards I’ve ever played with.”

On a team with young players and unfamiliar faces, it’s important to see who gels, who builds other teammates up, who impacts the Sixers game in a positive manner. With McConnell and Noel working so well together, it won’t be long until the Pick and Roll play becomes the Pick and Noel play by the Sixers.