Nerlens Noel Excels Off The Bench
5 years agoOklahoma City Thunder center Nerlens Noel scored 15 points, pulled down eight rebounds, dished out an assist and added three steals in a 112-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The 25-year-old has played 30 minutes just once, though he's quietly been better than starter Steven Adams, who's battled injuries. Who knows if it's sustainable, but here are Noel's per 36-minute averages: 14.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals, and 3.1 blocks. At the very least, Noel's play should earn him more minutes off the bench. It's worth it to monitor the Adams-Noel situation moving forward. For now, the latter isn't worth adding yet due to his 18.3 minutes per game average. He and the Thunder will face the Lakers again on Friday.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN