5 Potential Landing Spots for Nerlens Noel

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are a team still looking to make the necessary improvements to be competitive with the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, and thus have been at the forefront of the rumor mill revolving around the Sixers’ big men. Not only have the Celts shown that they’re likely willing to invest in the right pieces, but Noel has lobbed oddly-timed praise for the city of Boston–his hometown, might I add.

This move seems to fit Noel’s personal desires fairly well, as he’ll be both on a winning team and in a city he’s clearly fond of. It also fits the Celtics incredibly well, though, and could be the type of acquisition that moves both the team and Noel, on a personal basis, in the right direction.

The Celtics’ most glaring weakness this season has been rebounding–and that’s an area where Noel could contribute in a major way. Al Horford has never been a great rebounder at the five spot, and the likes of Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, and Tyler Zeller don’t back up a weak-rebounding cornerstone all that well.

Horford is averaging just 6.9 rebounds per game so far this season, while none of the other three I mentioned have reached the threshold of 6 per contest. This is a team that has all the pieces to contend at an extremely high level outside of their blatant rebounding deficiency, and that deficiency alone has been a major key in limiting some of their upside so far this season.

Noel’s career average for rebounds per contest is 8.1, and in a more stable, injury-free environment he could ideally average even more. This is a Boston team that thrives on energy, but has been dreadful in one of the most critical hustle categories in the game–especially on the offensive glass. Noel, while not an all-encompassing fix, is a massive step in the right direction, providing both effort and results on both ends of the floor.

His rim protection is another attribute that would fit well into what Boston needs, and their lack of rebounding coincides with the lack of a commanding interior presence. Albeit Horford has been injured for a good portion of the season, he’s still far from a primary rim protecting source. He’s a fine defender by all means, and is the type of versatile, multifaceted defender that could excel in Boston’s rotation. They simply need to add that premier rim protector behind him, and that’s where Noel fits seamlessly into the puzzle.

Noel is averaging 1.7 blocks per contest over his career, but that number could easily have been higher if he wasn’t limited by the ever-clogging presence of Jahlil Okafor alongside him on the court last season. He’s an exceptional athlete at the rim, and has shown himself to be one of the more promising interior defenders in the league moving forwards.

That’s the type of piece that Brad Stevens and company could be salivating over as they attempt to take this team to the upper echelon of competition.

What Could Move

In terms of what they would trade, one of the several guards that Boston’s rotation bolsters would obviously be on the table. Marcus Smart or Terry Rozier would be the cornerstone, while future picks or some other complementary pieces would likely be thrown into the fold.

Smart seems like a real possibility here, which I think in and of itself would be a massive victory for the Sixers. It’s tough to find a player as versatile on the perimeter as Smart is defensively, and his offensive improvements are only an additional bonus. The former Oklahoma State standout has been somewhat underutilized this season in Boston, and they could very well be willing to part with him despite his well-underrated value moving forwards.

Potential Trade Scenario:

Philadelphia 76ers receive: PG Marcus Smart

Boston Celtics receive: C Nerlens Noel

While this scenarios feels a bit hollow at the moment, the financial aspects work out perfectly. There would likely be more involved in such a deal, but there are far too many options extending beyond this year that make speculation pointless. The core of such a trade boils down to Noel and Smart, so the analysis is rather simple.

The Celtics would likely benefit in a major way from adding a player like Noel, who could immediately step into the starting role at center–pushing Horford to his natural position, power forward. His rim protection and rebounding would give a solid all-around Celtics team a boost in their weakest areas, while further strengthening a defensive unit that is already well-anchored on the perimeter with the likes of Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder.

While Smart does take a huge dynamic out of their reserve unit–namely being able to guard three different positions–I feel like this is a trade the Celtics would be willing to pull the trigger on to some extent, even if I personally would be a bit more hesitant in doing so. Terry Rozier has played well this season, and is somebody the team was enamored will when they draft him last season. There’s reason to think they may want to thrust him into a more prominent role behind Isaiah Thomas moving forwards.

Smart doesn’t help the Sixers in terms a shooting, but that hasn’t been nearly as much of a problem this season as it has in years past. We’ve seen Joel Embiid knock down threes out of the post, as well as Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric doing the same the four spot. Veteran additions have helped sure-up perimeter shooting as well, and the team has been thriving in that area in a manner we haven’t seen in a fairly long time.

Where the team does struggle, however, is perimeter defense–an area that Smart aids in tremendously. His aforementioned ability to guard all three perimeter positions at an elite level is an incredibly valuable piece in the rotation, and his two-way energy is something that consistently stands out when you watch him play.

Bringing that type of boost to the perimeter would be an excellent long term addition, as his age–just 22–means he could be a legitimate piece of the Sixers future. While this may be a bit controversial in the Sixer Twitterverse, a Noel-Smart trade would be an absolute victory–perhaps for both sides.