Philadelphia 76ers: Nerlens Noel in the second unit plus analysis on Richaun Holmes

Philadelphia 76ers: Nerlens Noel in the second unit plus analysis on Richaun Holmes

The time has come for coach Brett Brown to demonstrate his ability as a game manager. The Philadelphia 76ers’ lineups aren’t working, and for the first time in quite a while, the Sixers have enough talent to the point that Brown can shift some lineups, and integrate each player’s varied skill sets that might complement each other well. This all begins with the starters, which has been horribly, tremendously broken in the minutes they’ve played together. At this point, it looks like the Jahlil Okafor-Nerlens Noel pairing needs to be adjusted.

Dear Coach Brown, Noel should be implemented into the second unit, and here’s why:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/17/2016.

Noel and other second unit players work pretty solid with TJ McConnell and Isaiah Canaan. There has been only one, I repeat, only one unit has gone positive in terms of points in which Noel and Okafor were paired together. All of the other units with Okafor and Noel together? It’s not pretty, analytical wise.

Another interesting aspect I have found with Noel is his statistical data as a reserve player. In four games as a reserve, Noel has logged 104 total minutes (26 minutes per game). In those 104 total minutes, Noel has an offensive rating of 112 and a defensive rating of 107. In other words, the Sixers benefit from him coming off the bench, giving the second unit some boost. Also, when Noel plays exactly between 20-29 minutes, the team’s offensive and defensive rating is 103 and 104 respectively.

Coach Brown and the coaching staff have to convince Noel to stop shooting the ball outside the paint, or work with him on it, because it hurts the team. Noel is 35-of-122 shooting a jump-shot, which equals 29 percent (!).

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/17/2016.

The table above provides more evidence as to why Noel and Sixers would benefit from the big man coming from the bench. I think moving Noel to the bench also allows Okafor to work on his defense as well. This season should be used as a learning curve for Okafor and all these young players to develop. The grand question coming into the 2015-16 season was whether Noel and Okafor could with one another, so far the answer has been a firm “no.”

Let’s take a look at rookie Richaun Holmes:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/17/2016.

I read a piece on Holmes from my fellow SixerSense Friend, Josh Wilson. He’s right, he could be a solid piece for years to come in Philadelphia. His defense needs some work, but with his size, I think time will be on his side. The team’s offense improves by 12.2 points when he is on the floor. He’s more effective when plays less than 30 minutes. When Holmes plays between 10-29 minutes, the production is there. In those minutes, his offensive rating is 123, which was eye-popping. I don’t think he should be a starter by any means right now, but he is most certainly a nice role player the Sixers should continue to use.