One of the more surprising moves at the NBA Trade Deadline was the Dallas Mavericks’ acquisition of Nerlens Noel. They traded Justin Anderson and one highly protected draft pick to get the Philadelphia 76ers center.
Noel has not played a ton of minutes this season, due in part to injuries and in part due to the 76ers’ logjam in the frontcourt.
Despite the lack of sample size (this season), the Mavs have high hopes for Noel, comparing him to a former Dallas star.
Mavs president Donnie Nelson: "Nerlens [Noel] is really a Tyson Chandler starter kit. I think that's going to work really well for us."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 24, 2017
Knowing the Mavs’ recent history should let one know that that’s high praise. Chandler was the biggest non-Dirk component of their championship run in 2011.
Noel might not be at that level quite yet, but everything we have seen from him points to the potential to be an elite defender. In fact, one can argue that he is already that good on that end of the floor. With head coach Rick Carlisle helping him out, Noel should be able to develop nicely on the offensive end as well.
The Mavs got a steal of a trade at the deadline and they can reap the benefits for a long time to come.
