Nerlens Noel Deserves More Playing Time For Philadelphia 76ers In Second Half Of 2015-16

The Philadelphia 76ers are almost undoubtedly the worst team in the NBA, but the Los Angeles Lakers are making it an interesting race to the bottom. Nerlens Noel, though, has been quietly brilliant this season, and the Sixers seem to have two big men who they can rely on going forward.

Jahlil Okafor has been steady when it comes to his statistics, but his life off the court is unfortunately getting more headlines than anything else. Hopefully, Okafor will turn it around. After all, he is basically still a teenager, and the skilled big man has plenty of time to learn what it is to be a professional. It’s just a shame he doesn’t have more mentors in Philadelphia.

Noel is the best defensive player on this team, and that isn’t even up for argument. His shot blocking makes many guards pause when they’re deciding whether or not to drive the lane, and he is also quite adept at stealing the ball from unsuspecting bigs. He is averaging 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.67 steals and 1.61 blocks per game in only 29.3 minutes. He should at least be getting over 30 minutes per contest, and head coach Brett Brown better adjust this if the Sixers want anything to see anything positive in the season’s last months. He spoke to the press recently about how difficult it is to have Okafor and Noel on the court at the same time for offensive reasons.

“On offense the thing that comes up the most to me is space,” Brown said to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “When one is in the pick-and-roll, where is the other? When one is being posted, where is the other? It’s navigating how do you create space with two bigs who really aren’t known for making jump shots. That’s a challenge for the team.”

Well, it is the head coach’s problem to solve, because the Sixers must play both big men due to the lack of talent on the team. Maybe the front office will address this issue in the offseason after drafting another lottery pick and going through free agency, but their track record hasn’t been good when it comes to attracting marquee players. Noel deserves to be on the court, and Brown must make that happen for any chance of keeping his job in the long term.