Now that the Joel Embiid-Jahlil Okafor frontcourt is a tried-and-true statistical disaster, you can expect to see more Embiid-Nerlens Noel partnerships.
We think. We hope.
Per Tom Moore of Calkins Media:
While Brown said he’s probably not going to use big men Embiid and Jahlil Okafor together as much as he did during the recent six-game stretch in which they started and generally weren’t effective, he didn’t rule out starting them Tuesday.
Brown did say the Sixers “want to see Nerlens and Joel a little bit.”
Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel would like to see it, too.
“I think we can be really good,” Embiid said. “I’m excited to see it, especially defensively. Offensively, we’ll figure it out.”
Noel, like Embiid, is excited for the chance to play beside his fellow tower:
#Sixers Noel on playing with Embiid: 'I always look forward to trying new things. It'll make sense with them playing two bigs.'
— Tom Moore (@tmoore76ers) January 3, 2017
Embiid and Noel have shared the floor for approximately two minutes this season, according to NBA.com. The Sixers have a net rating of just under 50 during that time, so, obviously, these two are going to dominate together.
Seriously, they might. They should forge a tenacious defensive combination, and Embiid’s shooting coupled with Noel’s high screens should safeguard the Sixers against any real spacing issues.
Even if the two struggle alongside one another, chances are good that they’ll be better than the Embiid-Okafor dyad. The Sixers have been pummeled by 21.5 points per 100 possessions with those two sharing the court, and it’s unlikely the duo improves given how much of a liability Okafor is on defense, and his limitations on the offensive end.
Whatever returns an Embiid-Noel marriage yields up front should be an upgrade overs its “predecessor.” As for whether the Sixers are testing out this coupling for long-term purposes or merely to drum up Noel’s trade value, we’ll just have to wait and see.
