Among the early signings in free agency, veteran big man Nerlens Noel made the decision to ink a two-year, $3.7 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to help bolster their frontcourt unit.
However, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders is reporting that Noel had turned down more lucrative deals in favor of joining the Thunder due to what they offered as a more structured team.
Was told Nerlens had somewhat better financial offers but his camp wanted him in a very structured team dynamic and when Thunder became an options money took a back seat https://t.co/SmyLEWHmD6
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) July 15, 2018
Noel has spent the first four years of his career with both the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks where he has yet to experience the playoffs or play for a team that is in contention. During that time, he has seen his role on his respective teams continue to decrease as he was relegated to coming off the bench in a limited role as he averaged just 4.4 points on 52.4 percent shooting from the floor along with 5.6 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest in 30 games played with six starts. In his first four years, he is averaging 9.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.
This could be a chance for Noel to re-establish himself as a promising big man with this opportunity to play for a possible contender in the Western Conference. The 24-year-old has shown that he can be a factor defensively in the paint along with rebound at a high clip. It has been his lack of versatility when it comes to scoring as it has played a part in his struggles to truly breakthrough up to this point in his career.
Noel will likely take a primary role off the bench as the backup for Steven Adams where he could be a key player in helping stabilize their bench that struggled to find consistency last season. Ultimately, this is a situation that was best for him to both secure a solidified role in the frontcourt while possibly compete for the playoffs for the first time.
Follow Us
Subscribe