1. Nerlens Noel
Let’s start with my favorite of the group. After being drafted 6th overall, Nerlens Noel never quite lived up to the lofty expectations he set at Kentucky. I’m not going to try to hide it, though; he’s still one of my favorite players, and I think he would be an incredible player for the LA Clippers.
Noel has worked hard all throughout his NBA career and turned himself into a force on the defensive end and a fine role player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite playing limited minutes and playing alongside defensive liability Dennis Schroder, Nerlens Noel posted great defensive numbers, leading the team in DBPM, and leading the team to a better defensive rating when he’s on the court than off.
His offensive game never quite came along, but he plays the role of rim runner well. He shot 85% at the rim and threw down 116 dunks in 2019-2020. There’s a little glimmer of promise in him extending his game; he took 85 jump shots and sank 37% of them – not a great number, but the willingness to shoot could be encouraging.
As for his contract, he just finished up a 1 year, $2 million deal. While he’s played well, it’s hard to envision him bringing in much more than the Mini MLE. The main question is whether OKC figures him to be part of their future.
If the Thunder decide to blow it up and play for the future, they may decide to give Noel some money and see what they have in him. Alternatively, if they don’t see him being a part of the next iteration of the Thunder, they may let him walk, in which case I think Noel should be a prime target for the Clippers.