Denver Nuggets: 3 centers to target in free agency

Nerlens Noel

Nerlens Noel is a lithe and springy center who hasn’t achieved the type of dominance that he was expected to as the 6th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft but has shown himself to be capable as a rotation player.

In his six career seasons, the 6’10” Noel has averaged 22.2 minutes per game and started 166 of his 355 regular season appearances. He’s averaged 8.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game in his career, shooting 54.2% from the field.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2019-20 season, Noel is averaging 7.7 points (on a career-high 68.5% shooting from the field), 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steal in 18.4 minutes per game.

On offense, Noel is a play-finisher who is adept in the pick-and-roll, making him a solid option as a roll man when Jamal Murray, Monte Morris or Will Barton is handling the ball. There’s a chance he could even play a high-low game with Nikola Jokic, thanks to Jokic’s ability to shoot out to three-point range. Defensively, Noel is not just able to block shots but he can defend as well as you can expect from a center when he steps away from the rim.

Noel has suffered from a myriad of injuries in his playing career, including a torn ACL in his left knee that ended his sole season at Kentucky, tendinitis in his right knee in the 2015-16 season, an inflamed plica in his left knee that required surgery in the 2016-17 season and a torn ligament in his thumb in 2017-18.