Player Grades: OKC Thunder third quarter malaise leads to Pelicans victory in final pre-break game
OKC Thunder Best Reserve:
A+. . C. Oklahoma City Thunder. NERLENS NOEL
Other than Russ and PG the lone OKC Thunder player to score in double figures was Nerlens Noel. Over the course of his NBA tenure, the center was often ridiculed for a lack of focus or effort. In OKC that has not been remotely the case.
Without Dennis Schroder coming off the bench it was Noel who stepped up to deliver offensive production scoring 22 points. And, yet his presence defensively is what resonated. Noel achieved his double-double with 13 rebounds (8 on the offensive glass) along with an assist and two steals.
Truthfully, Noel was a player I was skeptical about when he came to the Thunder. Yet, 57 games in he’s completely changed my mind. The thing which isn’t the first thing we tend to focus on is how effectively (and willingly) he moves the ball. Center in on Noel the next time the OKC Thunder play and watch how he consistently moves the ball immediately when he receives it.
He never forces a shot. I still think there are advantages to be gained with Noel and the second unit. To that end, we’ll hope Sam Presti adds one more shooter in the buyout market. This so Billy Donovan can utilize an offense which works inside – out in much the similar way the starting unit does so effectively with Adams.