Nerlens Noel Facing A Once-In-A-Career Opportunity In Philadelphia

Jan 26, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (4) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Based on what the Philadelphia 76ers had to give up in order to get their hands on Nerlens Noel in the 2013 NBA Draft, – Philly dealt All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday – it went without saying that the expectations surrounding the former Kentucky product’s future in The City of Brotherly Love were as large as Noel’s sensational box top.

As a rookie by default after missing the entire 2013-14 season recovering from a torn ACL suffered during his lone season at UK, Noel has been able to play with relative freedom as a part of a depleted roster that he was arguably already the third best player on.

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But with Michael Carter-Williams now with the Milwaukee Bucks after the trade deadline deal and Tony Wroten sidelined with a partial ACL tear of his own, Noel is staring down the barrel of a once-in-a-career opportunity to become the leader and heart and soul of the rebuilding Sixers.

As it stands now, Noel is the most solidified cornerstone the Sixers have available, due to the injured rookie Joel Embiid patiently rehabbing from a fractured foot suffered before the NBA Draft, which will likely postpose his Sixers’ debut until next season.

The rest of Noel’s remaining supporting cast is primarily made up of young prospects looking to create or redefine their reputations in the NBA and would realistically be lucky to find themselves on a roster when the 2015-16 season kicks off.

Given the unique roster situation in Philly, the final 25 games on this season’s slate should serve as a great opportunity for Noel to become the clear-cut, top talent in the Sixers rotation — which doesn’t include players sidelined with injuries — in addition to the rookie actually becoming one of the team’s veterans overnight.

This isn’t something many could have expected to be a possibility early on in the season, between what was then a partially structured Sixers’ roster coupled with the fact that Noel’s offensive game was rawer than some freshly butchered meat, with butchered being a perfect way to describe Noel’s offense to begin the season, as well.

But things have since changed for the 6’11” rookie. Noel has slowly shown signs of improved confidence and he’s seen more of his progressively revamped jump shots fall, as well as finding more success attacking the rim. It also helps that one of Noel’s most glaring weaknesses — free throw shooting — has spiked to 74 percent during his last 11 games after connecting on 32 of 43 attempts from the charity stripe.

As a result of the increased confidence and efficiency, Noel has cracked double digits on the scoreboard in eight of his last 11 games. In addition to his scoring spurt, Noel has continued to be a factor on the glass and defensive end over this stretch, averaging 6.9 boards and three blocks per game.

This recent portion of the schedule where Noel has started to find his rhythm has led to a steady climb up the NBA’s rookie rankings, with Noel now standing behind only Andrew Wiggins, as seen on NBA.com.

Noel was asked in the Sixers’ pre-game shoot around before their matchup with the Bucks about what has led to his recent rise in production.

"“Me wanting to take more responsibility to get it done on both ends of the floor. I want to really continue to put myself forward as a leader on this team. Just lead by example. These are all news guys so I’m going to help them in any way I can.”"

The full video of Noel’s interview can be viewed below.

.@NerlensNoel3 talks next steps for his development on the court and as a leader.

Watch: http://t.co/r3LJWdCsl9 pic.twitter.com/sZMPXiID6r
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 25, 2015

Although Noel has shown signs of potential for a tremendous future as a post presence in the NBA, he may never get another opportunity like the one he’ll be face-to-face with for the remainder of the season. Noel may never get another chance to be seen as the best player on a roster that will inevitably be littered with early lottery picks in a few years.

Noel may never again be the most recognizable presence on the hardwood for the Sixers when Embiid and Philadelphia’s bushel of draft picks join the team next season. Noel may never again have the offensive freedom that comes with a roster paved with marginal talent, but he has all of these at this very moment and has the remainder of the season to capitalize on it.

For Noel, the final 25 games of his inaugural season in the NBA will serve as an opportunity to something very few players, much less rookies ever get the chance to do: become a leader, on and off the court.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

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