As surprising as it was that Nerlens Noel signed with the Thunder for the league minimum in 2018, it was down right astounding when he did it again this summer.
Noel played a career-low minutes during the 2018-19 season, averaging only 13.7 per game. His limited playing time was reflected in his numbers, turning in career lows in rebounds (4.2), assists (0.6) and steals (0.9). His points weren’t much better, scoring just 4.9 points per game on an average of 3.6 field goal attempts.
The question remains for Noel in 2019-20, will his decision to return to Oklahoma City pay dividends in increased playing time?
Brett Dawson of The Athletic points out that Noel still finds himself behind Steven Adams, who will get the majority of minutes at center. Should the Thunder decide to limit Adams’ time (or trade him), there is also the issue of newly acquired Mike Muscala. Muscala, who presents somewhat of an outside threat (certainly more than Noel) could end up stealing the minutes played last season by Jerami Grant.
Noel remains a solid pick-and-roll defender, and an aggressive pursuer of steals and blocks, but unfortunately for him, those don’t necessarily equate to increased playing time in 2019-20.
