Analysis: Noel brings tremendous risk

[reapaman]

noah can be a hub of a number of offensive sets despite not being a scoring threat because he's that good of a passer. along with m.gasol, his passing is elite. his ball skills and ability to think like a guard developed early because noah grew up as a guard.


noel's not that type of passer and he doesn't have that "hub-of-the-offense" type capability imo.

Well see..Noah his freshmen year wasnt nearly the player Noel was either..Noel isnt perfect but to say a player is what he is at 19 and cant get better is foolish..

I hate the age argument. Besides minor adjustments, bulking up and maturity, usually guys are what they are no matter what their age is. You can improve certain skills a little bit while in the NBA but typically you either got it or you don't and passing instincts are not his thing.

[Ruzious]

noah can be a hub of a number of offensive sets despite not being a scoring threat because he's that good of a passer. along with m.gasol, his passing is elite. his ball skills and ability to think like a guard developed early because noah grew up as a guard.


noel's not that type of passer and he doesn't have that "hub-of-the-offense" type capability imo.

Well see..Noah his freshmen year wasnt nearly the player Noel was either..Noel isnt perfect but to say a player is what he is at 19 and cant get better is foolish..

im confident in saying that noel will never develop the passing instincts and acumen that noah has.

I concur with you on Noah's offensive skills, but I wouldn't assume to know Noel won't become just as good offensively - perhaps in different ways.

[Ruzious]

noah can be a hub of a number of offensive sets despite not being a scoring threat because he's that good of a passer. along with m.gasol, his passing is elite. his ball skills and ability to think like a guard developed early because noah grew up as a guard.


noel's not that type of passer and he doesn't have that "hub-of-the-offense" type capability imo.

Well see..Noah his freshmen year wasnt nearly the player Noel was either..Noel isnt perfect but to say a player is what he is at 19 and cant get better is foolish..

I hate the age argument. Besides minor adjustments, bulking up and maturity, usually guys are what they are no matter what their age is. You can improve certain skills a little bit while in the NBA but typically you either got it or you don't and passing instincts are not his thing.

You can improve every skill quite a lot, and age is a huge factor.

[reapaman]

Well see..Noah his freshmen year wasnt nearly the player Noel was either..Noel isnt perfect but to say a player is what he is at 19 and cant get better is foolish..

I hate the age argument. Besides minor adjustments, bulking up and maturity, usually guys are what they are no matter what their age is. You can improve certain skills a little bit while in the NBA but typically you either got it or you don't and passing instincts are not his thing.

You can improve every skill quite a lot, and age is a huge factor.

Like who?

Sure Lebron for example finally improved his offensive arsenal over the past couple years but look how long it took for that to happen. Most guys just don't make major improvements and if they do it takes a really long time (like 5 + years long which is past their rookie contracts). Look how long it took Chandler to become the defender he is. And where still waiting on Dwight to really expand his offensive game on a consistent basis.

[Mlockhart]

Although I have never been a fan of Noel, I think he does have potential on the defensive end. When you look at who the other big men in the year's draft nobody has the kind of raw potential that this kid possesses. He could be a defensive anchor for your club down the road. I don't ever see him developing offensively into a serious threat. He isn't going to overpower anyone and he does not have the body type to put on a tremendous amount of weight. Unless he completely overhauls his jump shot he isn't going to ever be much on the perimeter.

While it does take big guys awhile to develop, he doesn't have a grasp of a lot of the basic fundamentals. You don't suddenly just develop into an offensive threat. It took D. Howard years to get that jump hook and and drop step, and he still can't shoot.

I would be terrified of Noel since this injury isn't the first major one he has had in the last four years. Even without the injury he is still 2-3 years from really helping any team.

[Gideon]

If Noah or even Camby is the best comparison for Noel, that's good enough for him to go #1 in this draft imo. I agree that chances are another player or two from this draft will have a better career, but figuring out who that player will be isn't exactly easy. For example, Paul George is probably the best player from his draft class, but he went #10 (which was also pretty much where he was mocked). I guess you could draft somebody like Burke or McLemore who might have a higher upside and hope they reach their ceiling... I wouldn't hate that decision, but I'm still leaning towards Noel.

Guys like Noah and Camby are underrated imo. A big man who is very good defensively and on the boards, agile/quick on his feet, a good chemistry/intangibles guy, and plays within his limitations (i.e. doesn't do stupid things like try to stick threes or dribble up the court himself) is a really great guy to have on your team. You can make a great frontcourt (PF/C) combination by pairing a Noah/Camby type big with a skilled offensive big like Dirk (think how well Dirk/Chandler worked), Cousins, Love, West, Lee, Bosh, Ilyasova, etc.

Most #1 picks have better careers than Camby or than Noah probably will have... but most drafts are stronger than this one. If this was 2014, Noel would probably go 4th or 5th. Other #1 picks in weak drafts such as Bargnani, Brown, and Olowokandi haven't been near the level of Noah/Camby. I don't think Noel has much risk of totally busting... defense and rebounding translates, and he clearly plays D and rebounds at a high level. He's not a franchise player, but he's a great sort of player to have when building a team.

[CBB_Fan]

Picking Noel #1 overall would be a horrible decision.

1. Big men bust far more than guards
2. He's coming off an ACL tear; how many big men have had injury problems that derailed their career?
3. He weighed in at 206 pounds. By draftexpress, that would make him the lightest center to be drafted since they started taking weight measurements before the draft.
4. Aside from blocks, he had fairly low production on a fairly bad team in college.
5. He has absolutely no jump shot. His 50% FT shooting and 37% rate on 2PT jumpers means he will be an absolute offensive liability.

No, no, no, no, and no. Big men should not be taken #1 overall unless they are sure generational talents, and Noel is not. His chances of busting are further heightened by his injury. He is a feather-weight and will be absolutely pushed around by every center in the league. His offense is non-existent.

I'd solidly take McLemore, Porter, Oladipo. and Burke above him.

[Takuya Kimura]

Picking Noel #1 overall would be a horrible decision.

1. Big men bust far more than guards
2. He's coming off an ACL tear; how many big men have had injury problems that derailed their career?
3. He weighed in at 206 pounds. By draftexpress, that would make him the lightest center to be drafted since they started taking weight measurements before the draft.
4. Aside from blocks, he had fairly low production on a fairly bad team in college.
5. He has absolutely no jump shot. His 50% FT shooting and 37% rate on 2PT jumpers means he will be an absolute offensive liability.

No, no, no, no, and no. Big men should not be taken #1 overall unless they are sure generational talents, and Noel is not. His chances of busting are further heightened by his injury. He is a feather-weight and will be absolutely pushed around by every center in the league. His offense is non-existent.

I'd solidly take McLemore, Porter, Oladipo. and Burke above him.

Agreed,his reward is not high enough to cover his risk, I understand risking for for Greg Oden in this draft,but a 206 lbs C with serious injury concern?Nah.

[The Sebastian Express]

I guess I'm someone that actually thinks his weight makes sense right now. He doesn't think he'll be ready until Christmas. It is unlikely he can do weight-bearing, muscle-gaining work on his legs right now because of his knee. It'd be an absolutely horrible idea for him to start gaining weight in his upper body. This is what happened to Greg, and in hindsight was a terrible idea. He was so top heavy that it gave him continued problems in his legs his first year back.

I'd be more worried about his weight in mid to late October, personally.

[Marcus50]

206 lb makes him a risk, that is almost 50lb lighter than Adams

[Dr Positivity]

Tbh I think Adams and Gobert are as impressive physical specimens as Noel. Noel has the most athleticism, Gobert is the longest and Adams is the bulkiest, looks close to a draw to me

[Jazzfan12]

Gobert is as physically impressive as Thabeet.

[coutournant]

Gobert is more similar to McGee physically, although he's a bit less explosive (but a lot smarter).

Nerlens Noel lost 10 pounds since 2012 Nike Hoop Summit (he was 216). I think it's very worrying to be losing so much weight in one year at such a young age. It's a sign it will be very difficult to make him add bulk to his skinny frame.

[MalonesElbows]

Gobert is more similar to McGee physically, although he's a bit less explosive (but a lot smarter).

Nerlens Noel lost 10 pounds since 2012 Nike Hoop Summit (he was 216). I think it's very worrying to be losing so much weight in one year at such a young age. It's a sign it will be very difficult to make him add bulk to his skinny frame.

McGee's explosiveness doesn't really help him on the defensive end. Falls for shot fakes when he should just be playing with his arms up most of the time.

[Eoghan]

Gobert is as physically impressive as Thabeet.

Disagree. Thabeet has a better base. Gobert is as physically impressive as Manute Bol.

Anyone that compares Gobert's athleticism to McGee's needs serious eye exams.

[Jazzfan12]

Gobert just looked super awkward and uncoordinated in all the video I've seen of him. Falling over after jumping a foot into the air, tripping on his own feet and falling to the ground, catching the ball really strangely, running and jumping really badly.

[pfm]

McGee's explosiveness could be an asset to him if he was an intelligent player, but he is far from that. Gobert is definitely smarter, who isn't to be honest? If McGee was smart on the court, he could very well be the best C in the league.

[Ayt]

Gobert is more similar to McGee physically, although he's a bit less explosive (but a lot smarter).

Nerlens Noel lost 10 pounds since 2012 Nike Hoop Summit (he was 216). I think it's very worrying to be losing so much weight in one year at such a young age. It's a sign it will be very difficult to make him add bulk to his skinny frame.

He obviously lost the weight because he can't do lower body work due to his injury.

[ManualRam]

Gobert is more similar to McGee physically, although he's a bit less explosive (but a lot smarter).

Nerlens Noel lost 10 pounds since 2012 Nike Hoop Summit (he was 216). I think it's very worrying to be losing so much weight in one year at such a young age. It's a sign it will be very difficult to make him add bulk to his skinny frame.

He obviously lost the weight because he can't do lower body work due to his injury.

his metabolism is probably going crazy too but still, it gives you an indication of the kind of frame he's working with. its not good.

[CBB_Fan]

Should be noted that Noel was 216 when he entered college. Still would make him too light to be a center.