Nerlens Noel

[Bricklayer]

Anybody seen him play yet? If things continue as they have, any chance he can be our Ibaka?

 

[bajaden]

Anybody seen him play yet? If things continue as they have, any chance he can be our Ibaka?

Its a little early to say just yet. I've seen him play only twice so far, and my first impression is that he's close to being in the Anthony Davis class defensively, but not offensively. But yeah, I can see him being a version of Ibaka. He definitely needs to add some muscle to his frame, but he's a terrific athlete with great timing and instincts when it comes to blocking shots. So far, his rebounding has been fine as well, but he could improve in that area. Another guy, who doesn't get the press that Noel gets, but who is making a big splash defensively while improving offensively is Jeff Withey, who is leading all of college in blocked shots.

He's not quite the athlete that Noel is, but his instincts are off the chart. Another player that bears watching, who is also on the Kentucky team, is Willie Cauley Stein, a 7'0" center, that currently coming off the bench, but who is playing so well, that he may break into the starting lineup with added minutes.

For some comparisons between the three players here are some of their basic stats.

Noel: 6'10" - 225 Lbs - 30.6 MPG - 11.6 PPG - 52.8% FGP - 9.0 RPG - 3.1 BPG

Withey: 7'1" - 235 Lbs - 30.0 MPG - 14.6 PPG - 59.1% FGP - 8.1 RPG - 5.7 BPG

Stein: 7'0" - 245 Lbs - 19 MPG - 8.0 PPG - 57.1% FGP - 5.3 RPG - 2.0 BPG

In fairness to Stein and Noel, Withey is a senior, so he has three years of experience. To his credit, he's improved every year in college. What I like about Stein, is that he's been a big surprise, and he's been extremely effective in just over half the minutes of the other two. Project his numbers out into the 30 MPG range, and he falls somewhere between Noel and Withey in production.

Its still early yet, so we'll see where they are a couple of months from now. Of course, of the three, Noel is the true PF, whereas the other two are better suited to playing center. Especially Withey! I could see Cauley Stein playing at the PF spot due to his athleticism.

 

[lwc]

I have seen a lot of the Cats mentioned and they can be great. They need to get some experience but can bre good. NN has great hops and instincts and is a fantastic passer. WCS has unreal hands. He was a WR in high school and turns even the worsit passes into scoring opportunities.

 

[bajaden]

I have seen a lot of the Cats mentioned and they can be great. They need to get some experience but can bre good. NN has great hops and instincts and is a fantastic passer. WCS has unreal hands. He was a WR in high school and turns even the worsit passes into scoring opportunities.

I completely agree. Stein has been a big surprise. I think he's even surprising himself. If Goodwn can aquire a consistent outside jumpshot, the sky's the limit for him. I also like Poythress. I'm just not sure what his position is, and we probably won't find out for sure this year since Calapari is using him in a similar fashion as Terrence Jones. I'm recording the Portland/Kentucky game as I write. I think I have 4 or 5 other games I'm recording today. Looking forward to the Arizona game later today.

 

[lwc]

I wont spoil the UK game for you but outside of a Goodwin dunk towards the end of the game there isnt anything worth seeing.

 

[bajaden]

I wont spoil the UK game for you but outside of a Goodwin dunk towards the end of the game there isnt anything worth seeing.

There's always something worth seeing, depending on what your looking for. I don't really care who wins the game. I'm only interested in individual play. However, if I had to take a guess, I'd put my money on Kentucky in this one. I don't think Portland has enough horses to stay up with Kentucky.. But you never say never!

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Watching Kentucky for the second time this year right now, and while they aren't playing well, I really like what I've seen out of Cauley-Stein. He moves well, and has the same body type as Tyson Chandler. He needs to put on a little more weight, but he's much more filled out then Noel, who I haven't been as impressed with.

I don't know where Stein is in the mock drafts now, but he looks like a lottery pick to me.

 

[bajaden]

Watching Kentucky for the second time this year right now, and while they aren't playing well, I really like what I've seen out of Cauley-Stein. He moves well, and has the same body type as Tyson Chandler. He needs to put on a little more weight, but he's much more filled out then Noel, who I haven't been as impressed with.

I don't know where Stein is in the mock drafts now, but he looks like a lottery pick to me.

Stein has been the biggest surprise this year. Also, he's a better athlete than Chandler. I like Noel a lot, but in the long run, Stein may end up being the better player. He's bigger than Noel, and has a better offensive game, while still being a very good defensive player, including the ability to block shots.

While your right about Kentucky not playing well at times, their certainly playing better than when the season started, and they've played a fairly tough schedule. I think all Calapari wants is to be good enough to get into the tournament, and by then, he'll have them playing much better. I thought they did quite well against Louisville today, and Louisville is a far more veteran team. Kentucky has the horses, they just have to get everyone on the same page, and elliminate some of their mistakes.

 

[Gilles]

I wouldn't say Chandler's body type is really a plus. Tyson worked really hard on his strength and it took him quite a lot of time to get going in the pros and Cauley-Stein is not as athletic overall. But he has good instincts and bball IQ so you can definitely project him to be a NBA player one day, though I think the earliest he puts his name in is as a junior. Noel may lack somewhat in size but his vey athletic, is a fantastic repeat jumper, and reads game well on the defensive end. On the offense he's not as advanced but he works hard moving a lot, so in theory if Evans and Cousins are here next season, he fits well with them. He's a strict four though, and unlike Davis has a narrow build so it doesn't look like he could guard an NBA center even 10 year into his career, or you get struggles like when Amir Johnson tries to stop Cousins.

 

[bajaden]

I wouldn't say Chandler's body type is really a plus. Tyson worked really hard on his strength and it took him quite a lot of time to get going in the pros and Cauley-Stein is not as athletic overall. But he has good instincts and bball IQ so you can definitely project him to be a NBA player one day, though I think the earliest he puts his name in is as a junior. Noel may lack somewhat in size but his vey athletic, is a fantastic repeat jumper, and reads game well on the defensive end. On the offense he's not as advanced but he works hard moving a lot, so in theory if Evans and Cousins are here next season, he fits well with them. He's a strict four though, and unlike Davis has a narrow build so it doesn't look like he could guard an NBA center even 10 year into his career, or you get struggles like when Amir Johnson tries to stop Cousins.

I'm going to disagree with you on Stein's athleticism. He's an excellent athlete. He was a star wide reciever in football, but opted to play basketball, his second love. Chandler never in his life had the speed that Stein has. Calapari's plan was to bring Stein along slowly, but he's progressing much faster than expected. He put on 20 pounds of muscle this past summer working out at Kentucky, and his grasp of the game is improving rapidly. You could be right about him staying in school past this season, but who knows. He's gone from not even being on the draft boards, to almost making it in to the lottery on some.

I agree that Noel is a PF, and that should be his position in the NBA, while Stein could probably play either position in the future. I'd love to see either of them next to Cousins. Both guys are shotblockers, and thats an area where Stein is improving.

 

[Gilles]

I must admit I saw only 1,5 Kentucky games, didn't look specifically at him and I didn't see anything special. Will have to look closely with SEC conference play right around the corner.

 

[bajaden]

I must admit I saw only 1,5 Kentucky games, didn't look specifically at him and I didn't see anything special. Will have to look closely with SEC conference play right around the corner.

Well if you saw some of Kentucky's early games, and didn't see much of Stein, its no surprise. As I said, Calipari was trying to bring him along slowly, so he didn't play that much in the early games. But he started to impress so much in his appearances, he's worked his way into the starting lineup. I think one of the problems Kentucky has, is lack of depth, and I think what Calipari fears is both Noel and Stein getting into foul trouble. So he was reluctant to put both players into the starting lineup. Even in this last game against Louisville, when Stein started. As soon as he got a foul he went to the bench. Stein is a legit 6'11.5" with a big wingspan. His problem is that he's been just a little too aggressive on defense, and it leads to foul trouble. Anyway, he's someone to keep your eye on.

I've mentioned Withey, because you never know where the Kings will be drafting. Lets say we get our act together, and make a nice run, but fall short of the playoffs. Of course if we just miss, we likely lose the draft pick to Cleveland, but if not, we could be picking at 13 or so, and Maybe Stein is there, if he declares, or at worse, Withey. Who I don't see as a starter in the NBA, at least not now, but he could be a nice backup center with size, and would being some shotblocking to the bench. I also like Gorgui Dieng from Louisville. He's athletic enough to play PF is needed, and he can also play center. He doesn't demand the ball, and plays excellent defense and rebounds well. He's another guy that should go in the mid to late first round. I guess you figured out that I'm looking for some size in the draft that can defend, but not be lost on offense.