Philadelphia 76ers Center Nerlens Noel Could Be Sixth Man of Year
Nerlens Noel of the Philadelphia 76ers is not the first name thought of for Sixth Man of the Year, but that does not mean he is any less deserving of the title.
Nerlens Noel has what it takes to be Sixth Man of the Year. Before the outcries pointing out that he missed a month and a half of the season begin, yes that will hurt his chances for sure.
Just hear me out.
In limited time he has proven to be an almost invaluable back up center for the Philadelphia 76ers. Yes, this a a lot of talk for a guy that has only played in 13 games and only averages about 15 minutes per game. When compared to other players that have a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year, a candidacy for Noel requires closer inspection.
A Little Competition
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Noel does have plenty of competition for the honor.
On one hand, he must first contend with Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon. Gordon averages 17.7 points per game and shoots 40.9 percent from 3-point land for the season. A drawback on Gordon is that he is in a system that glorifies offense so these numbers may be inflated.
On the other hand, Noel must contend with Lou Williams. Williams has won the award before in recent years so it he will be good competition. On top of that, Williams scores 17.5 points and gets 1.1 steals per game. The only knock on Williams like Noel is that he is on Los Angeles Lakers, a losing team.
Big Competition
Still, other names show up in the sixth man discussions. Noel must also out play two bigs if he wants to win the elusive title.
One is NBA veteran big man Zach Randolph. In his first season being a sixth man for the Memphis Grizzlies, Randolph has delivered. He has averaged 13.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The only disappointing aspect of Randolph’s game is he 45.1 percent from the field. That is not elite shooting percent for any NBA big.
And finally, the other big man Noel will have to beat out is Oklahoma City Thunder, Enes Kanter. Kanter averages 14.1 points per game and shoots 56.8 from the field for the season. But the argument against Kanter, and the reason he is not a starting center, is his defense. Throughout the course of this career is has been a defensive liability.
Comparison
How do these five players compare in the world of advance stats? First of all, it is always wise to compare their per 36 stats.
| Rk | Player | G | GS | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Gordon | 40 | 8 | .430 | .409 | .468 | .846 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 20.8 |
| 2 | Enes Kanter | 41 | 0 | .568 | .172 | .598 | .779 | 4.2 | 6.9 | 11.2 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 23.9 |
| 3 | Nerlens Noel | 13 | 0 | .600 | .600 | .667 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 9.6 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 18.2 | |
| 4 | Zach Randolph | 35 | 1 | .451 | .238 | .473 | .753 | 3.5 | 8.8 | 12.3 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 21.3 |
| 5 | Lou Williams | 44 | 1 | .429 | .368 | .470 | .863 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 26.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/15/2017.
Williams may be the best scorer out of the group in this particular stat representation however Noel beats everyone out in steals and blocks and is third in rebounding. Still, in the end, Nerlens Noel will truly need to win Sixth Man of the Year from his play on defense.
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Per 100
It is also important to compare these players in the per 100 possessions stat line.
| Rk | Player | G | GS | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS | ORtg | DRtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Gordon | 40 | 8 | .430 | .409 | .468 | .846 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 28.2 | 113 | 112 |
| 2 | Enes Kanter | 41 | 0 | .568 | .172 | .598 | .779 | 5.8 | 9.5 | 15.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 32.8 | 120 | 105 |
| 3 | Nerlens Noel | 13 | 0 | .600 | .600 | .667 | 5.6 | 7.7 | 13.3 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 25.0 | 120 | 101 | |
| 4 | Zach Randolph | 35 | 1 | .451 | .238 | .473 | .753 | 5.0 | 12.6 | 17.6 | 3.9 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 30.5 | 102 | 103 |
| 5 | Lou Williams | 44 | 1 | .429 | .368 | .470 | .863 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 4.3 | 35.6 | 113 | 113 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/15/2017.
Right now, Noel is tied for first in (ORtg) offensive rating and is first in (DRtg) defensive rating. While not conclusive, it provides solid evidence that he is the most efficient on both sides of the ball. How far his efficiency takes him in this race is up to the voters
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If Noel stays with the Sixers past the trade deadline, he will need to get a boost in minutes and play every single game for the rest of the season. Then and only then will he have a true chance to win Sixth Man of the Year.
As a matter of fact, he poses a serious threat towards the rest of the competition for the award.