Rookie Nerlens Noel had 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 106-92 exhibition win over the Charlotte Hornets last night. The lefty made a right-handed jump hook and smooth 17-footer while serving as the supreme pick-and-roll threat and rim-intimidator for which he’s known. It was a strong performance by any box score or objective analysis. But what stuck out more to us than raw stats or a gravity-defying dunk or block about Noel’s play on Wednesday was a single defensive sequence that was easy to miss unless you were really looking.
Noel is blessed with incredible quickness and agility for a player so long. Despite his rare speed and leaping ability, it’s Noel’s unique coordination that sets him apart from other players with 7-4 wingspans more than anything else. A basic yet advanced understanding of defensive concepts helps, too.
Those traits were on full exhibit during a mostly innocuous first quarter play against the Hornets. Watch as Noel jumps out to assist the fallen Alexey Shved on a ball-screen and recovers to get a finger on Bismack Biyombo’s attempt at the rim:
Nice play. But hardly revelatory, right? Wrong.
What makes this sequence so exciting begins with Noel’s immediate recognition of his team’s disadvantage. As Shved hits the floor, Noel meets Cody Zeller “up to touch” and steadily retreats as Gary Neal dribbles his way and Zeller starts to roll. This should be an easy two-man game for Neal and Zeller, but Noel makes it difficult by perfectly splitting the difference between both offensive players, deterring a shot from Noel and dish to Zeller. Perfect, and especially impressive considering he’s yet to play a regular season game.
That’s the knack, and it’s of utmost importance. But what has Noel primed to dominate defensively for years to come is that in combination with his physical gifts.
As Neal makes the cross-court pass to Biyombo on right block, Noel has yet to touch the blue portion of the paint. Making matters worse, he’s fully squared up to Neal at this point and has his back to Biyombo. Noel shouldn’t have a chance to block Biyombo’s shot – not only is he too far away, but his hips are facing the complete wrong direction.
But Noel blocks the dunk anyway, naturally. Watch how quickly he flips his hips – and even gets his hands up to contest the pass! – as Neal makes the dish to Biyombo. It happens so fast you can barely see it, and is an accomplishment that would send most big men crashing to the ground even if they could pull it off. But Noel is in perfect balance after that readjustment, and makes two more quick slides before leaping to swat Biyombo’s shot.
It also bears mentioning that Noel jumps after Biyombo and teammate Brandon Davies. He’s so quick off the floor, though, that it doesn’t matter; it’s Noel who gets to the summit first.
Noel is not a finished product defensively, of course, and won’t be for some time. It takes years to understand every nuance of NBA defense. But this play is indicative of just how advanced he is physically and mentally when it comes to that side of the ball, and suggests a future defensive impact matched by only a select few players in the league.
Will Noel win Defensive Player of the Year in his career?
Follow Jack on Twitter at @ArmstrongWinter.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
