There’s not much of a wait left for NBA action to return. In honor of the restart being nine days away for OKC, let’s take a look at Nerlens Noel who wears jersey number 9.
Nerlens signed a two year contract with the Thunder in 2018. He had previously been a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Dallas Mavericks.
Noel showed promising signs as a young player in the league. He had moments of greatness in his first two seasons with the 76ers. However, he was never really given a chance to thrive in Philadelphia, and especially not at his next stop in Dallas.
Serving as the backup for Steven Adams in OKC, Noel has come up big on numerous occasions. Whether it be replacing an injured Adams in the starting lineup, or bringing solid minutes off the bench.
In his second year with OKC, Noel is averaging nearly double the amount of points per game (7.7) as his previous two seasons. He has had a few crazy games in the last two years. Once recording 15 points in 15 minutes, and then 20 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Phoenix back in 2018.
One would certainly hope that the Thunder and Noel can come up with an extension to remain with the team this off-season. Having him as a backup provides more athleticism and speed on the court for OKC.
Let’s also hope that he is healthy and ready to go for the restart. Nerlens reportedly sprained his ankle during practice in the NBA Bubble. According to reports, he should be ready to go by the first game on August 1st.
On the zoom call today, Thunder center Nerlens Noel (ankle sprain) said he was able to scrimmage today. Has spent a portion of camp getting rehab/conditioning work to the side.
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) July 21, 2020
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