The Sixers’ 20-year-old rookie is a lanky strand of sinew with a Big Daddy Kane flattop, a limited offensive game, and some of the most stunning defensive numbers ever posted by someone of his tender age. Not only does Noel lead all rookies in rebounds, blocks, and steals, he’s also the only NBA player in the top 10 in both blocks (eighth) and steals (10th). That’s not, you know, normal.
Since the All-Star break, Noel has averaged 11.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, and 2.8 steals a night. He rejected nine shots in a game against the Pacers last month. In the Sixers’ recent upset of the Hawks, he amassed 11 points, 17 rebounds, and five steals. (He has an absurd total of 19 acts of thievery in his last four games.) If you want to unspool a convincing narrative for why Noel should be rookie of the year, look no further than his defense.
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Advanced metrics support the eye test. Noel’s Defensive Box Plus/Minus ranking is second in the NBA, his Defensive Rating is eighth, and, according to SportVU player tracking, opponents shoot only 45 percent at the basket against him, which places him in elite rim-protector territory. The Sixers surrender 99.5 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor — which is slightly better than the Rockets and Blazers, the third- and fourth-best defenses in the league. He’s the primary reason Philly’s defense has jumped from 27th last year to 12th this season — and it plunges back down when he leaves the hardwood, according to NBA.com.
Noel’s cross-categorical stat-glomming has led to flurries of hyperbolic and arbitrary historical comparisons: The last player to rack up precisely eight points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, and four steals was a holographic Wilt Chamberlain going against Dan “Mimbo” Cortese in the 1993 MTV Rock N’ Jock game! But generating statistical similarities to David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Ben Wallace is not exactly a bad look.