Give Noel More Minutes
Noel’s lack of playing time makes very little given OKC acquired him to backup Steven Adams and preserve his health. The big Kiwi has missed one game this season but required attention on calf soreness in multiple games yet, Donovan elected to play Adams 30 plus minutes despite struggles with his health.
Below is a table of the leagues top 10 Centers relative to playing time:
Top 10 playing time for Centers. Adams playing third most minutes pic.twitter.com/Vl42qL3E3l
— Thunder Moneyball (@geola388) November 14, 2018
As the table shows, Joel Embiid is leading the way playing 35.1 minutes per game with Adams sitting third-equal with Memphis’ Marc Gasol. On paper, this doesn’t look like a big deal, however OKC possesses what other teams don’t have – a legitimate backup center.
Amir Johnson (PHI), Ekpe Udoh (UTA), Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM), Noel, Gorgui Dieng (MIN), P.J. Tucker (HOU), Zaza Pachulia (DET), Dwight Powell (DAL), Richaun Holmes (PHX) and Aron Baynes (BOS) are the back-ups to the top 10 centers mentioned above. Of the 10 names above, Baynes and Noel are the best reserves on paper. Noel was the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft and is yet to reach his athletic prime.
OKC need to model Noel’s minutes after Mason Plumlee
Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is one of the league’s ascending big men. He’s a skilled seven-footer and a walking triple double capable of single-handedly powering the Nuggets to wins.
Coach Micheal Malone has intelligently managed his minutes playing him less than 30 minutes per game (29.7 minutes).
Nuggets reserve center Mason Plumlee is averaging 17.1 minutes and is employed as the primary back-up. The 28 year-old center is an excellent passing big man, solid in pick and rolls as a finisher but can’t shoot a lick from anywhere on court. Plumlee is the NBA’s worst free throw shooter converting on just 33.3 percent of his attempts.
Currently, Noel is averaging 14.1 minutes per game but had it not been for his start against Phoenix on Oct. 27 where he played 26 minutes, the 24 year-old is assigned less than 12 minutes of court time. While he’s not the same type of player as Adams, Noel’s skill set is conducive to the fast pace Oklahoma City desperately want to play. He is skilled in the open court, gets up high on lobs and can finish with either hand.
Defensively, Noel is a strong shot blocker (1.3 blocks per game) and an excellent help defender coming from the weak side. In OKC’s win over Houston, Noel helps Patterson after Carmelo Anthony partially gets by him to the rim. The two tandem block him at the summit.
Noel also possesses great ball instincts and attacks the passing lanes well for a big man. In the win over Phoenix, Noel anticipates a pass from Josh Jackson and steals the ball. He finds an open Patterson for his first dunk of the season.
Ultimately, increasing Noel’ playing time allows Adams additional rest, but the by-product is Noel takes greater ownership of his role within the team.