Nerlens Noel Set For Big Statistical Year With Struggling 76ers

By Cody Williams @TheSizzle20 on October 29, 2014

Nerlens Noel was sitting at the 2013 NBA Draft possibly expecting his name would be called with the first overall pick; it wasn’t. Noel waited, likely thinking there’s no way that he wouldn’t be walking onto the podium within the first five selections of the night; there was indeed a way. The sixth pick belonged to the New Orleans Pelicans, though, and they pulled the trigger on the talented, high-upside big-man.

The narrative played out to send Noel to the tanking Philadelphia 76ers who then made the decision to rest the young center for the entirety of the 2013-14 NBA season while Noel recovered from a torn ACL. As Wednesday marks the first full-slate of games for the 2014-15 season, though, Noel is prepared to take the floor for the 76ers and begin his rookie campaign.

Noel and the Sixers take on the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis on Wednesday night in a contest which features two teams who will almost surely be at the bottom of the standings when season ends. However, the Sixers are going to be down arguably their best player that they expect to have this season with point guard Michael Carter-Williams sidelined by injury. That could mean a big night for Noel considering Philly doesn’t have a plethora of options.

It’s foolish to argue that Noel is going to be a superstar immediately. He has even admitted that he has growth ahead of him this season as he adapts fully to the NBA style of play. However, it’s equally as foolish to disregard the innate talent that Noel possesses and the things that he’s going to be able to do from day one in this league.

Though the Sixers aren’t going to be great by any stretch, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Noel putting up the stats that place him strongly in the race for Rookie of the Year. He’s going to contribute defensively—easily the best aspect of his game right now—and will also have the opportunity to put up offensive numbers simply by the logic of “who else is going to get the rock for that team?”

It might not be like watching the next NBA superstar-in-the-making at times this season when it comes to Noel in Philadelphia, but that doesn’t mean that the end numbers won’t look good. It’s going to be hard to gage his prospects going forward beyond this season because of how bad this Sixers team is going to be, but it’s not crazy to think that his final line for the year will be impressive.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.