Daily Thunder · Apr 18, 2020
Nerlens Noel’s 2019-20 Report Card
Mid-Season Grade: A-
Reader Grade: B (54% of votes)
Having embraced a narrow but fruitful role as the Thunder’s backup center, Nerlens Noel has been more effective per-minute than his career averages in most categories. Unlike last season, his counting stats have been backed up by advanced metrics. OKC used to plummet when Steven Adams went to the bench, but now they maintain a positive net rating; Noel’s career highs in both offensive (0.5) and defensive (3.4) BPM are underneath that reversal, also reflected in him reaching the most Win Shares (4.8) of his career before the season was suspended.