Camden wrote:There were three players in the NBA that averaged at least 11.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 1.4 BPG in 2015-16.
- Paul Millsap (age 30)
- DeMarcus Cousins (age 25)
- Nerlens Noel (age 21)
Noel improved or stayed relatively the same across the board, statistically. Improved his PER from 15.0 to 16.2, his TS% from .493 to .544, TRB% from 14.3 to 15.0, AST% from 9.8 to 10.5, STL% stayed the same at 2.9%, but his BLK% went down from 5.0 to 3.9 (though, it's fair to wonder if this was affected by the Okafor pairing).
I'll admit, it's difficult to gauge how good a player is when they're in as bad of a situation as Philly is, but I don't think calling Noel a bad player, or "not good", is all that fair, especially when you consider the production he put up for his second season in the NBA. That's while also ignoring the defensive potential he's shown glimpses of numerous times (PHI's much-improved defense his rookie season. Also, his one game showing vs Carmelo Anthony this year where he locked him down defensively late in the 4th quarter. Rare to see from a big).
I think LST listed that two mid-late first rounders were worth more on the value board than the No. 5 or No. 6 pick, but I'd much rather have the more-proven young player with good upside and at a position of need.
We all have our favorite stats. Mine used to be PER, until it was pointed out to me that if player X has a 20 PER but lets the guy he is guarding get a 25 PER, how good can he be considered? Then I discovered that 82 games actually tracked that, so then "PER split" became my favorite.
KAT is not on that list because he was seven/tenths of a steal away. I still like KAT better.
Though some might say it was Noel's 2nd season, the laws of NBA free agency say it was his 3rd.
And once again, he is not horrible. He just isn't worth the #5 pick. The simple fact that if he does get it together this year, you don't know if it's because he is out of Philly or because he decided to finally try in his contract year. Meanwhile, the Wolves would almost have to match any offer for the simple fact that if they didn't that meant they gave up the #5 pick for one year of a player.
The cons outweigh the pros. That's all. It's not even the worst idea. I still do this trade over Serge Ibaka.