Nerlens Noel 'Desperately' Wants To Be Like Kevin Garnett

By now, it’s no secret that in order for Nerlens Noel to remain a part of the Philadelphia 76ers long-term, he going to have to redefine his game into the mold of a power forward.

Between the offseason NBA Draft acquisition of the indescribably skilled offensive low post presence that is Jahlil Okafor, and whatever possibility still remains that Joel Embiid ever actually plays a real, organized basketball game in Philly, Noel would simply be the odd man out.

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There’s simply no possible refutation for Noel at center over Okafor or Embiid, leaving Noel with the task of becoming a power forward. Whether you classify the move as an opportunity or an obligation, Noel has embraced it open arms.

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Throughout the last nine games of Noel’s rookie season, he primarily played power forward alongside Furkan Aldemir in order to get a sense of how the lanky, 6’11” big man would fare paired with Embiid in 2015-16. Of course, that won’t be the case for the upcoming season with Embiid out, but the circumstances remain the same with Okafor becoming the focal point down low.

Rather the refute the inevitable move to power forward, Noel spent a portion of his offseason in Rhode Island developing his jump shot in preparation of his positional shift, per Philly.com.

"“I think it’s really going to help me as a basketball player overall, especially at [power forward],” Noel said of the daily workouts. “[It will] help space the floor with my ability and start hitting the jumper consistently and complement our whole offense. And, you know, just changing my whole game and how effective I am.”"

Obviously, straying a few feet away from the rim may negatively impact Noel’s ability to defend the rim with his life, as he did so feverishly as a rookie, averaging 1.9 blocks per game. But as noted, it’s a move he’s simply going to have to make for the benefit of his team and future with the Sixers.

But why would a young man who’s spent his entire life as a paint protector and very little else be so willing to completely redefine his game and adopt a role and responsibility tapered towards some of his greatest weaknesses, such as jump shooting?

The answer is quite simple.

As Sixers head coach Brett Brown noted Thursday to SiriusXM NBA Radio, Noel “desperately wants to be like KG.”

“He’s spent a lot of time, you know, trying to develop that pick-and-pop, 18-foot jump shot game; 20-foot jump shot game. We are going to give him the freedom to shoot that shot, also.”

Is that a realistic goal for Noel? I certainly believe so.

Of course, Noel’s offensive repertoire is miles behind where Kevin Garnett’s was at 21 years old, but Noel’s desire to be great and the work ethic clearly instilled in him suggests the sky is the limit with this young man.

You can listen to the full interview with Brown here.

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Nerlens Noel ‘Desperately’ Wants To Be Like Kevin Garnett

By Cody Daniel | Sep 24, 2015

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