New York Knicks: Grading their signings in NBA free agency

New York Knicks free agency signing No. 2: Nerlens Noel

The Knicks benefitted greatly when the OKC Thunder blew up their roster. Nerlens Noel was seemingly happy on a playoff-bound Thunder franchise as the backup big man to Steven Adams, bringing a defensive intensity to the court every time that he played.

In the season just gone, Noel bought this intensity to the court for the Knicks. There were reportedly some tense moments in January between Noel and his coach Tom Thibodeau but that was quickly dealt with.

Due to the injury to starting center Mitchell Robinson, Noel ended up starting for the Knicks in 41 of his 64 games played. While Noel was not a liability on offense, he certainly was not a force. He averaged 5.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 24.2 minutes per game. While he did not score freely, he hit the shots he took, averaging only 3.5 per game, hitting them at 61.4 percent.

Noel was a true tower of defense. He can defend all positions, including switching out onto the perimeter to defend the 3-ball. However, his rim protection is amongst the best in the league and the Knicks can build around that, especially when Robinson returns to the court.

Grade: A