Fansided

5 NBA players that need a change of scenery

By Roje Smith

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is in my DraftKings daily picks. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is in my DraftKings daily picks. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) dunks during the third quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 109-108 in OT. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) dunks during the third quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 109-108 in OT. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Nerlens Noel – Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have a wealth of young talent at the power forward and center positions. There’s Joel Embiid, who appears to be a lock for the Rookie of the Year award for this season. He’s averaging 18.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Those numbers are very good and they’re even more impressive when you consider the fact that he’s averaging 24.8 minutes per contest. He is receiving comparisons to a young Hakeem Olajuwon and looks like the Sixers’ franchise center.

Another talented big man on Philadelphia’s roster is Jahlil Okafor. He enjoyed a successful rookie year last season by averaging 17.5 points, seven rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Even though his defensive effort needs major work, his offensive ability is receiving comparisons to Tim Duncan. It’s a stretch to feel that Okafor will mirror the achievements of Duncan, but there’s no denying that he has major upside. He can form a dangerous combination with Embiid for many years to come once they get their chemistry figured out.

This leaves us with Nerlens Noel as the third promising big man on the 76ers’ roster. Unfortunately, he appears to be the odd man out. After averaging 10.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.8 steals per game over his first two seasons, his production has taken a nosedive for this season.

Since returning from an early season injury, Nerlens has played in seven games and is only receiving an average of 11.6 minutes of court time. As one would expect, this situation isn’t sitting well with him and he’s been rather vocal about it. Despite what head coach Brett Brown has said about trying to get him involved, it seems like it might not be enough to regain Noel’s trust. A change of scenery seems like it’s the best move for the former Kentucky standout.

There are quite a few teams that can benefit from Noel’s rebounding prowess and defensive versatility. The Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors are all teams that could benefit from adding Noel. We can debate all day long about the pros and cons of the aforementioned options. However, as far as today is concerned, it’s hard to debate that Nerlens Noel wouldn’t benefit from being on a new team.

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