How good can a Nerlens Noel & Embiid front court be?

VC-INJURY · Post #1 » by **VC-INJURY** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:19 pm

What are your thoughts on a Noel/Embiid 4,5 combo for the 76ers?

Sixers basically got the two #1 projected picks in back-to-back drafts. Do they have potential to be one of the GOAT PF/C combos if they can remain healthy and develop?

Kabookalu · Post #2 » by **Kabookalu** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:20 pm

Average 50 games a year combined.

hokageinfamus · Post #3 » by **hokageinfamus** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:21 pm

It'll be like having Marcus Camby and Theo Ratliff as your twin towers, scary and versatile defensively but can they stay healthy

Liver_Pooty · Post #4 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:22 pm

VC-INJURY wrote:What are your thoughts on a Noel/Embiid 4,5 combo for the 76ers?

Sixers basically got the two #1 projected picks in back-to-back drafts. Do they have potential to be one of the GOAT PF/C combos if they can remain healthy and develop?

I'd like to actually see them both play an NBA game before saying they have the potential to be one of the best front court tandems of all time.

frozt · Post #5 » by **frozt** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:22 pm

We should watch them play an NBA game first to decide...

Illmatic12 · Post #6 » by **Illmatic12** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:25 pm

We can call them the "Twinjured Towers"

High0ctane21 · Post #7 » by **High0ctane21** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:30 pm

Both of them are WAY too unknown to even take a logical guess. I don't see Noel as much more than a Chris Anderson type of guy off the bench. I can't imagine he'll end up being part of a 'GOAT PF/C" combo.

Embiid definitely has the potential to be something special, but I wouldn't be surprised if injuries take their toll on him sooner than later, and he just ends up being a Tyson Chandler lite type of player.

Juggynaut · Post #8 » by **Juggynaut** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:35 pm

Noel ain't special, Embiid has potential.

yitur · Post #9 » by **yitur** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:36 pm

Noel is better than Ibaka defensively with his lateral quickness and disturbing the passing lanes. Offensively not so much as a shooter but he will be much better than people expecting of him. In their primes(of course no season ending or career ending injurius are on the table) I see Noel/Embiid combining 36/25 with 5-6 blocks per game. What more can you ask.

What Chris Anderson type though. He was almost better defensively than Anthony Davis as a freshman. Embiid is also another great defensive anchor. In their primes Philly will be the best defensive team in the league.

BieberLUV · Post #10 » by **BieberLUV** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:38 pm

no spacing

mrmsix6 · Post #11 » by **mrmsix6** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:42 pm

The wheelchair league is in deep, deep trouble.

But seriously, they won't fit together well at all on the offensive end. They have potential to be great defensively, but it's incredibly dicey to rely on 2 ~7 footers with a history of knee, foot, & back problems. I would be surprised if they had long, productive careers playing next to each other. I see Philly taking them more as a pure value play rather than having visions of those 2 playing together.

Kobblehead · Post #12 » by **Kobblehead** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:48 pm

Hinkie would get Chris Christie-level heat by opposing teams for completely shutting down the lane.

Q00 · Post #13 » by **Q00** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:49 pm

Illmatic12 wrote:We can call them the "Twinjured Towers"

Sixteen · Post #14 » by **Sixteen** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:50 pm

It's funny how people project Jabari to score 20 ppg without seeing him play but it's different when it comes to teams or players they don't like.

Sixteen · Post #15 » by **Sixteen** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:51 pm

Juggynaut wrote:Noel ain't special, Embiid has potential.

Will be my sig in a couple of months

Q00 · Post #16 » by **Q00** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:51 pm

I love this pairing though, if they pan out. Definite potential to be the best frontcourt tandem in the league one day.

Could be the next Wallace x2 defensively. They have tremendous shot-blocking/paint protecting potential.

Bubstubbler · Post #17 » by **Bubstubbler** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:52 pm

VC-INJURY wrote:Sixers basically got the two #1 projected picks in back-to-back drafts. Do they have potential to be one of the GOAT PF/C combos if they can remain healthy and develop?

Absolutely.

Embiid has legit potential to be one of the top handful of players who have ever played. If he's healthy, I think the odds are probably up around 75% that he'll be a truly dominant 2-way HOF player.

Noel doesn't have anywhere near the offensive potential of Embiid (of course, nor do 99% of NBA players), but he has some astounding defensive potential.

I think they fit wonderfully together. You don't need both guys to be offensive superstars; it's totally fine to have one guy be like Hakeem/Robinson/Duncan and for the other guy to be like Camby/Chandler/Mutombo, i.e. great defensively and more of a 'garbage man' on offense. If both are healthy, Noel is going to have a field day on the offensive boards due to all the attention Embiid will get.

Some may worry about spacing with those 2 guys, but given Embiid's excellent shooting potential all the way out to 3pt range and his exceptional thinking/passing ability, I don't think it'll be an issue at all. Embiid will burn defenses all day long if too much help comes his way, and Embiid-to-Noel alley-oop dunks might be rather commonplace if Noel's man even looks at Embiid too much.

I am fascinated with their potential, and as a fan of basketball in general I hope we get to see what they can do healthy. I had held out some hope that New Orleans would win the lottery and get Embiid, thereby allowing them to pair AD and Embiid, which I think would have had an excellent chance to be the best pf/c combo in history, but seeing him play with Noel would be a nice consolation prize.

A healthy Embiid/Noel pairing is absolutely the type of pf/c combo that could make a team a perennial contender and carry a team to multiple championships.

DoubleLintendre · Post #18 » by **DoubleLintendre** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:53 pm

If they both are healthy... they are potentially the best big men pair in the league.

TheKingOfVa360 · Post #19 » by **TheKingOfVa360** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:57 pm

I don't like most of the moves the 76ers are making. Noel looks like an energy guy off the bench at best. Embiid could be a major bust due to injuries and lack of basketball experience. But I think if he can stay healthy Embiid could be a 20-10 center and a force.

Bubstubbler · Post #20 » by **Bubstubbler** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:58 pm

hokageinfamus wrote:It'll be like having Marcus Camby and Theo Ratliff as your twin towers, scary and versatile defensively but can they stay healthy

You listed two Noel-type guys and left out an Embiid-type guy.

Embiid has 100 times more offensive potential than either Camby or Ratliff.

Embiid is more like Hakeem/Robinson in terms of offensive potential. One of the rare guys with the potential to put up 26 ppg with a ts% over 60%.