Nerlens Noel Season Review: Will vital OKC Thunder reserve be back in 2020?
By Alex Mcewen
Role Players Saving Star Players
Bench players do not start for a reason, but they can provide just as much, and sometimes be more valuable than starters. Role players, often save star players, what this means is no matter how great an individual player is, they cannot win alone they must have a solid supporting cast surrounding them. Noel is helping build just such in Oklahoma City, below is an extensive breakdown of his 2018-19 regular season and 2019 playoff statistics:
Noel Statistic Breakdown:
Over the course of his professional career, Noel has struggled to remain healthy throughout the season. His 77 games were the most he’s played in any one campaign and even then several of the games he lost this year came as a result of an Andrew Wiggins elbow which resulted in a concussion.
Noel started twice and produced two double-double performances. His key category ratings highlight the benches struggles to score ( offensive rating: 97.6), but ability to lock down defensively (defensive rating: 101.1) which translated into a minus-3.5 net differential rating. Notably, his playoff statistics in these same categories experienced slippage on offense (96.2) but an improved defensive rating (90.8) and a vastly improved net differential of plus+ 5.4, albeit in limited minutes played.
Seasonal Stats:
| Season | MP | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 13.7 | 3.6 | .587 | 3.6 | .587 | .587 | 1.0 | .684 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 4.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/1/2019.
Advanced Stats:
| Season | PER | TS% | ORB% | DRB% | TRB% | AST% | STL% | BLK% | TOV% | USG% | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 19.3 | .608 | 12.1 | 20.0 | 15.9 | 5.9 | 2.9 | 7.7 | 13.4 | 13.8 | -1.6 | 5.5 | 3.9 | 1.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/1/2019.
Playoff Stats:
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | ORB | DRB | TRB | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 5 | 12.0 | 2.4 | 4.0 | .600 | 4.0 | .600 | .600 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 4.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/1/2019.
Season Highlights and Benchmarks:
Noel showcased his full potential in the New Orleans game on Valentine’s Day. In just 21:44 he produced a double-double of 22 points (year high) and 13 rebounds (eight offensive boards). This game offered a glimpse of Noel at his best and should serve as motivation for the center to develop his offensive versatility in the offseason.
The other double-double performance (20 points/15 rebounds) came versus the Phoenix Suns on October 28 when he started the match in place of an ailing Steven Adams. The 15 boards were his high mark in a game this season.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com/Stats and Basketball-Reference.com
Most of Noel’s numbers do not jump off the page, except his shot blocking ability. His 1.2 blocks per game placed 28th in the association, Noel is one of only 43 players in the league to average one or more blocks per game during 2018-19.
Further narrowing the field, Noel was one of three players to come off the bench and record at least one swat per match, joining Montrezl Harrell and Richuan Holmes. Therefore, even with Andre Roberson coming back, if the Thunder lose Nerlens, their defense will regress.