Is the Nerlens Noel Situation Still Salvageable?

After his season debut for the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night against the Detroit Pistons, center Nerlens Noel showed that he deserves play time.

The Philadelphia 76ers still have a huge issue at the center position. That issue being, the team has three starter-quality big men. Obviously, the team won’t be able to give starter minutes to all three of them. One has got to go. The aftermath of Sunday’s game has made the potential resolution even harder to figure out.

The game itself was dominated by T.J. McConnell‘s near triple double performance. Lost in the news cycle was Nerlens Noel‘s season debut for the Sixers. Things weren’t made better when Nerlens left the game early in the second quarter with an apparent ankle sprain. For now, Noel’s immediate future is once more clouded by another injury. In any case, Noel did show some flashes of a solid return to the rotation.

In 10 minutes of play, Nerlens Noel scored 8 points on 3-5 shooting from the field. He didn’t grab any boards, nor did he dish any assists. However, Nerlens did end up with a plus/minus of +11. He had an impact in the game when present. Obviously, Noel contributed in other areas of the game.

More from The Sixer Sense

Two of those shots were mid-range jumpers, I might add. This is something that Noel has been working on since last season when he was paired with Jahlil Okafor up front. At that point in time, Nerlens was playing the four with Jah at the five. Noel needed to learn how to stretch the floor and open up opportunities for the rest of the guys. Thus, he started to develop a jumper.

Now, the case can be made that Nerlens Noel’s comments about the center logjam have made him the odd man out. He has openly expressed his concerns over the current state of the center position. This opened up the floodgates for controversy. He has been discontent, which has made him the odds-on favor to get traded. But, has his play Sunday night helped make his case for staying?

One game isn’t enough to make that ultimate decision. However, with this small snippet as to what Noel can bring to the table, there is still a chance he can stay. Personally, I think the Sixers need to see Nerlens paired side-by-side with Joel Embiid before they can make that decision.

With Embiid / Nerlens front court, you get infinite possibilities on the defensive end of the floor. Defensively, you get some of the best rim protection in the league. When Embiid switches on the pick and roll, Nerlens is still there as that added reinforcement. Noel was 8th in the league last season in defensive box plus/minus at 3.4. This was, mind you, on a team that depending on him so much to generate defensive stops. For comparison’s sake, Jahlil Okafor‘s defensive box plus/minus is 0.2. Jah, according to the stats, isn’t as proficient defensively as Nerlens. Nerlens Noel has shown that he capable of providing those defensive stops when needed.

Adding Joel Embiid to the equation only make the situation even better. In his short, yet glorious, NBA career Joel Embiid has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with. He’s a guy who’s willing to chase guys down on the fast break, switch on pick and rolls, and take a guy in an isolation situation. He can do it all. JoJo’s current defensive box plus/minus is 2.8. Although not as good as Noel, it opens up the idea that maybe these two could play together. Noel and Embiid could potentially be a defensive powerhouse.

Next: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot Must Capitalize on Chances

Back in the game against Detroit, you could see that Nerlens was much more aware. He was actively trying to make plays defensively. Obviously, it was a small sample size (without Embiid, no less), but Noel seems to know what he’s doing on the defensive side of the floor. There’s still a few months until the trade deadline, so anything can happen. But, at least from his brief but stellar performance on Sunday, Nerlens has not surrendered in his quest to be the best.