NBA Power Rankings: All 30 Starting Centers

Oct 30, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Charlotte Bobcats center Al Jefferson (25) controls the ball during the second quarter as Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Charlotte Bobcats center Al Jefferson (25) controls the ball during the second quarter as Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Power Rankings
Sep 27, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) speaks with reporters during media day at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

22.  Nerlens Noel — Philadelphia 76ers

Taking heat for being too invested in “hype” is nothing new.  This ballyhoo and suspense has been ongoing for 15 months, dating all the way back to the June 2013 draft.

At the rate we’ve seen Noel perform in the NBA’s Summer League and his entire transformation in his shot, there’s no indecision about it — he should have been the first overall pick in his class.

Sure, we have no remote idea how the chips would have fallen for Cleveland and their fate with LeBron James, but having Noel instead of a wasted (and traded) piece in Anthony Bennett seems more astute, to me.

We’re yet to see Noel play a single game in the pros, against veteran competition, but he has the prototype frame and athletic body to match that of Anthony Davis.  From that lens, figuring that injuries steer clear of the 76ers this season, Noel’s “rookie” watch will be more entertaining than everything else Brett Brown has on the floor.

The future of the league, and whoever is a part of it by the time Noel is 24 or 25, better pray his defensive activity in the summer was a fluke.  This is one of those instances where his latent and untapped skill deserves to be higher than a handful of established starters.