Brett Brown: 'Nerlens desperately wants to be like KG'
Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel is in the midst of a position change to power forward, and the 21-year-old is modeling his game after a future Hall of Famer.
As explained by head coach Brett Brown, Noel is taking notes from Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Garnett.
"Nerlens desperately wants to be like KG," Brown said during an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
"He’s spent a lot of time, you know, trying to develop that pick-and-pop, 18-foot jump-shot game, 20-foot jump-shot game. We are going to give him the freedom to shoot that shot, also."
There are certainly parallels to be drawn between Noel and Garnett in terms of their defensive potential and physical stature. Both players entered the league as raw, lanky, defense-first bigs.
Their statistical profiles from their rookie seasons are rather similar.
| Statistic | Nerlens Noel | Kevin Garnett |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 20 | 19 |
| Points | 9.9 | 10.4 |
| Rebounds | 8.1 | 6.3 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Minutes | 30.8 | 28.7 |
| PER | 15.0 | 15.8 |
The shooting range, however, is the main difference between Garnett and Noel.
Despite entering the league straight out of high school, Garnett had a ready-made inside-out attack, which he later developed into his signature midrange, fadeaway jumper.
Noel, meanwhile, hit just 29.7 percent of his shots outside the paint last season.
To his credit, Noel has been working on refining his jump shot in an effort to not only emulate Garnett, but also to open up room on the inside for newly drafted center Jahlil Okafor.
"I think (an improved shot is) really going to help me as a basketball player overall, especially at (power forward)," Noel said in August. "(It will) help space the floor with my ability and start hitting the jumper consistently and complement our whole offense. And, you know, just changing my whole game and how effective I am."