OKC Thunder must show line-up flexibility and give Nerlens Noel more minutes

With Steven Adams struggling in certain match-ups, the OKC Thunder must show greater line-up flexibility by giving Nerlens Noel more playing time.

The OKC Thunder are going through a tough stretch right now. Since the All-Star break, Oklahoma City has struggled on both sides of the ball with the offense looking particularly anemic outside of Russell Westbrook. However, one area which needs addressing is at center.

Steven Adams is the bona fide anchor of OKC’s defense with the big man providing a throwback presence to deter opponents from driving to the hole. The big man is an excellent defensive player in the post, utilizing his sheer size to bully opponents out of the paint. However, with the league in the midst of the small ball era, the big kiwi struggles in specific match-ups.

One player who needs to receive more minutes is Nerlens Noel.

Noel is a slender center whose game is predicated on elite athletic ability and mobility. When OKC is tasked with guarding perimeter heavy bigs, Noel’s ability to recover, disrupt the ball handler and guard the perimeter is a much better fit for OKC’s defensive system.

Adams is a very good defender but the scheme doesn’t magnify the big Kiwi’s defensive ability.

Pick and Roll defensive scheme

While Billy Donovan‘s defensive scheme is in pick and roll is an interesting choice, the Thunder’s help defense where the center hedges high is prone to easy rolls to the bucket. Adams has excellent hands for a big man in PnR sets, regularly disrupting passing lanes when opposing guards try to feed their rolling big man at the hoop. When Adams is unsuccessful disrupting the pass, his large frame struggles to recover especially when opponents run high pick and roll.

Against mobile, perimeter-heavy big men, Noel is a better choice thanks to his ability to anticipate drives and block shots at the summit. At 6’11, 220 pounds, the 24-year-old is over 40 pounds lighter than the big kiwi, allowing him to shift his feet and stay with both guards and big men on the perimeter.

When he is beaten off the pass, Noel does an exceptional job to recover blocking shots with regularity when opponents least expect it.

As it stands, Adams is averaging 33.9 minutes per game while Noel is seeing just 14.4 minutes of playing time. A suggestion to Donovan is to lower the big Kiwi’s minutes to around 30 minutes per game and give Noel two to three minutes of additional burn.

Issues with playing Noel

While many OKC Thunder fans believe Noel should be starting over Adams, Noel has the following issues:

• struggles to defend centers with post-games
• regularly underplays on defense in hope of chasing a block
• fouls often in limited minutes

While the big man is an exceptional athlete, his wiry frame is often overpowered by opposing centers who can score on the block. Offensive minded centers such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic, and Enes Kanter take advantage of his lack of bulk on the block. Noel struggles to hold positioning inside and gifted scorers on the block often have their way with him.

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The other issue is his overwhelming desire to chase blocks. Noel is an exceptional help defender, relying on his anticipatory skills to block shots. However, there are times where Noel gives a lane to smaller players in hopes of rejecting them at the rim. Savvy scoring guards such as Lou Williams and Jamaal Murray are excellent finishers at the rim. If presented with a lane, these players often take advantage of big men off the dribble and when Noel gives too much space, he is beaten to the rim.

Lastly, Noel has a problem staying on the floor. Per 36 minutes, the 24-year-old averages 5.7 fouls per game. While his 3.3 blocks per 36 are impressive, Noel cannot stay on the floor consistently without fouling making it almost impossible to give him more playing time.

Adams is more than just a defensive presence

Many Thunder fans have slandered Adams performances of late, calling for the promotion of Noel to the starting unit. While there is a case for Noel to receive more playing time, he is only effective

in certain match-ups on both sides of the ball. The big Kiwi possesses a decent post-game, is an offensive rebounding juggernaut on the block and creates a tonne of space for Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Dennis Schroder to operate off the bounce.

The defensive scheme deployed by OKC isn’t the best for a throwback center, especially when he is expected to help in the pick and roll. His hands are always active but his large frame makes it difficult to recover if opposing players thread the needle. Expecting a 7’0, 265 pound big to cover distance if the pass gets through is a tough task.

There’s little doubt Noel is better suited against perimeter-oriented offenses but he is often found wanting when he chases blocks. Even if you disagree with Donovan’s preference to give Adams more minutes of Noel, he is better suited overall to what OKC needs.

That is to man the paint, offensive rebound, score on the block and create space for its stars.