Nerlens Noel has been at the center of trade rumors and controversy all season. Despite the drama, the Toronto Raptors should move to acquire him.
The Philadelphia 76ers infamous “process” has been debated to death within the basketball community. The strategy of going for the best player available, regardless of fit, and refusing to surround them with mentorship or supporting pieces has come with some negative effects. In drafting three centers with their top pick in three straight drafts, a logjam was inevitable.
The first of the three to be selected was Nerlens Noel. Noel was the consensus top pick in the draft, prior to his knee injury in college. While the trade of Jrue Holiday for the draft pick that became Noel was controversial, getting a talent like him with the fifth pick in 2013 was a no-brainer.
But with the following years bringing Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor into the fold, developing a functional rotation has become difficult. The lack of a consistent role within the team has caused frustration for Noel. As he expressed to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com:
“I just want to play basketball,” Noel said in response to whether or not he wanted to be paired with another center. “I don’t really care who I’m playing with. I’m not an eight-minute player so I don’t know what that’s about. I don’t really care, I need to be on the court playing basketball. I think I’m too good to be playing eight minutes. Like, no, that’s crazy. That’s crazy. That’s crazy. They need to figure this s— out.”
As a response to this, Sixers coach Brett Brown stated Noel was out of the rotation for the “foreseeable future.” Noel was then benched against the Nets, only to receive seven minutes of action the following game.
Noel is already a tremendously talented defensive player and capable of helping a team. What he requires at this point is stability and people that believe in him — a situation that the Toronto Raptors could provide for him.
Noel is a very good rim protector and can step out and defend on the perimeter. These are incredibly valuable defensive traits and help arguably Toronto’s biggest area of weakness. For all the talk of the Raptors needing more firepower, they are the most efficient offensive team in the NBA.
Where they struggle is when teams like the Warriors and Cavaliers attack them in the pick-and-roll. Valanciunas is a poor pick-and-roll defender and virtually unplayable at times in these matchups. Noel would provide the Raptors with a defensive center they could play alongside Patrick Patterson, who could also play power forward as he has in the Sixers’ log-jammed system.
The ability to have a center step out on the perimeter and defend wings with length and speed is a huge deal. This is what the Cavaliers had in Tristan Thompson during the 2016 NBA Finals that helped negate the Warriors’ ability to get to the rim. Not only can Noel defend shots at the rim, but he can prevent players from getting into the paint. This means less penetration and less kick-outs to wide open three-point shooters. He is simply the disruptive force the Raptors need.
While there are concerns regarding his health, it shouldn’t deter the Raptors from acting. The ongoing drama in Philadelphia, paired with the knowledge around the league that they can’t keep all three of their centers is driving down his trade value.
Noel will be a restricted free agent this summer, which means the Sixers must make a decision. Either they commit to him long-term, or get value in return now. Noel is a superior player to Okafor, but his contract situation has the team going young.
This presents the Raptors with a tremendous opportunity. They can add a 22-year-old that can help them both now and later. Noel is the same age as their rookie forward Pascal Siakam, only he can do everything Siakam does at a much higher level. The Raptors have an abundance of guards, something the Sixers are in desperate need of. These teams seem like natural trade partners, as a move makes sense for both sides. As long as the price is realistic, the Toronto Raptors should trade for Nerlens Noel.
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