Nerlens Noel Swats James Harden's Dunk Attempt (Video)

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Nerlens Noel made his mark on the NBA with a nasty swat on James Harden that sent his dunk attempt flying in the other direction.

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After sitting out all last season with an injury he suffered during his only season at Kentucky, Nerlens Noel is finally taking the NBA court and he is already displaying some of that shut-down defense we saw from him in college.

During the Philadelphia 76ers’ Monday night game against the Houston Rockets, James Harden was driving toward the rim but Noel put the red lights on, swatting his dunk attempt and sending the ball back with a purpose.

You can watch the video below:

Nerlens Noel blocks James Harden dunk https://t.co/bnuMn2iPDB
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) November 4, 2014

The 76ers are a kingdom of tankiness, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some talented players–or even future all stars–on the roster. Michael Carter Williams, after all, is coming off a Rookie of the Year performance and Noel has a chance to win the award this season. Those two, combined with Joel Embiid (who is sitting out much of this season with his own injury) and Dario Saric (who is playing in Europe) form a promising four that figures to be a part of the 76ers future.

Specifically, Noel could be the defensive anchor of this team. His blocking skills are on display in that video, and he is naturally skilled on that end of the floor. Although he is limited on offense, he projects to be a Tyson Chandler-type.

Plays like this let us see that kind of potential, and that’s exciting. Especially for 76ers fans.

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Nerlens Noel Swats James Harden’s Dunk Attempt (Video)

By Wes Goldberg | Nov 3, 2014

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