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Should the Charlotte Hornets Take a Look at Nerlens Noel?
With Philadelphia 76ers’ big man, Nerlens Noel, reportedly on the trading block, should the Charlotte Hornets take a look at the 22-year old?
Nerlens Noel has made it clear that he isn’t happy about his situation with the Philadelphia 76ers. The trade rumors have already begun and while a number of teams have been linked, the Charlotte Hornets are not one of them. Should the team look into the young big man and think about taking a chance on him?
“With the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft the Charlotte Hornets select…[the camera pans to Nerlens Noel]…Cody Zeller out of Indiana University.”
Imagine if the Hornets could have a redo in the draft. Would they stick with their pick of Cody Zeller, or would they decide to take a chance on the injured Nerlens Noel out of the University of Kentucky? It is no secret that Nerlens Noel is at odds with the Philadelphia 76ers front office. But should the Charlotte Hornets look to capitalize off of his recent problems? Let’s look at what he could contribute to the team.
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Rim Protection
Nerlens Noel is an elite rim protector with a career average of 1.7 blocks per game. This would place him right around the ranks of the top-10 rim protectors in the league since his debut in the 2014-2015 season. He was an explosive athlete in college, however, there was fear that his ACL injury would rob him of his athleticism. This could not be further from the truth, Nerlens leaves the ground quickly and has the length necessary to block or alter shots on close outs as well as post-ups.
Nerlens Noel is almost an inch shorter than Cody Zeller, but he more than makes up for it with his length. At 9’2″, his standing reach is four inches higher than Zeller. This gives him the ability to alter more shots and deter point guards in the pick and roll. Last season, Noel only allowed opponents to shoot 49.4% at the rim while contesting an average of 32.7% of their shot attempts. This would place him ahead of Roy Hibbert and just behind Marvin Williams.
Rebounding
Nerlens is a high energy, high activity player that has a career average of 8 rebounds a game. And most importantly, he averages over two offensive rebounds a game. If added to the Hornets, this aspect of his game would be integral in shaping the Hornets identity. Steve Clifford tries to limit transition buckets by sending players back in transition rather than gambling on offensive rebounds.
However, this comes from the fact that the with the exception of MKG, the Hornets have never had an offensive rebounding threat. I’d imagine that Clifford would utilize this particular strength of Nerlens which could translate to an additional two to three possessions a game for the Hornets.
Offensive
At this stage in his career, I would think of Nerlens Noel as a less refined Cody Zeller. He needs to operate out of the pick and roll to do damage to opponents. Although he is averaging 10.4 points per game for his career, the majority of Nerlens’ shots come inside of the paint. He has not shown signs of a post-up or midrange game. This means, that he would not be able to space the floor which is a necessity if he were playing alongside MKG.
He scores primarily on his offensive rebounds and when operating as the roll man. In contrast, Zeller has shown flashes of a developing midrange jumper and has become more assertive in his role as the roll man for the Hornets. I’m not sure there would be any advantage offensively in replacing Zeller with Noel. However, Noel could take the place of Roy Hibbert if the Hornets were willing to invest in his future development (Noel is only 22 years old).
Argument against a Trade
I don’t think Nerlens Noel brings enough to the table defensively to warrant a serious trade for him. If the Hornets were to make a trade, I would expect him to play with the second unit. He does not have the offensive tool set to replace Cody Zeller in the starting lineup (Noel has a lower assist percentage and a higher turnover rate). Steve Clifford is a defensive minded coach that has once again, schemed the Hornets to a top-10 defensive rating in the league.
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Because of this, there isn’t a great need for individual rim protection. While it would be nice, Nerlens main skill would be superfluous to the current roster. For now, think of Nerlens as a Bismack Biyombo type of player that can actually catch a ball and have a more consistent impact on the game. I don’t believe it is worth trading for him at this point. And honestly, if the Hornets wait until the trade deadline nears, they might be able to get him for a lot less if he continues to clash with the front office.
Summation
Nerlens Noel is a good NBA player playing for a bad NBA team. He is not a franchise altering player. It wouldn’t be wise to mess with the team chemistry just to make the Hornets marginally better. However, I’d be happy to trade him for Roy Hibbert for the right price. This is because they fulfill similar roles. I would not warrant the Hornets moving any key players to make this trade a reality. I think the Hornets would be best served to continue developing their own talent (Christian Wood and Frank Kaminsky) before adding another youthful big to the roster.
