Patrick Causey, on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
The NBA announced today that Nerlens Noel was named to the 2014-15 NBA All-Rookie First Team. Noel is the 11th player in franchise history to earn All-Rookie First Team honors. This team is selected by a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters, who were tasked with selecting five first and second team players.
The Sixers website had the following to say about Noel:
In 75 games with 71 starts this season, Noel averaged 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.77 steals and 1.89 blocks. The last player to post those averages in a single season while playing at least 50 games was Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994-95. Over his final 22 games played, Noel averaged 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.18 steals and 1.95 blocks.
Noel, who turned 21 years old last month, led all rookies in rebounding, steals, blocks and double-doubles (18). In addition to being the only player to rank top-10 in both steals and blocks this past season, Noel joined David Robinson as the only rookies in NBA history to have averaged at least 1.50 steals and 1.50 blocks.
While it would be a stretch to compare Noel to either Olajuwon or Robinson on the offensive side of the ball, there is no doubt that Noel has elite defensive skills.
Noel received 125 out of 130 possible first place votes. Minnesota Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins and Chicago Bulls Nikola Mitotic received all 130 votes. Orlando’s Elfrid Payton — who the Sixers drafted before trading his rights to Orlando for Dario Saric — and the L.A. Lakers Jordan Clarkson, rounded out the First-Team. Boston’s Marcus Smart, Minnesota’s Zach LaVine, Brooklyn’s Bojan Bogdanovic, Denver’s Jusuf Nurkic and New York’s Langston Galloway made the All-Rookie Second Team.
It's somewhat surprising that Noel did not receive the full 130. Per Jake Fisher of LibertyBallers.com, the following sports writers did not vote for Noel:
Five media members who didn't vote Nerlens Noel 1st-Team All Rookie: Candace Buckner, Sam Smith, Bob Fitzgerald, Bob Rathbun, Steve Holman.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) May 18, 2015
Please do us all a favor at Sixerdelphia and send some hate their way. Twitter, email, Facebook, whatever other medium you can think of through the interwebs to let our collective disdain be heard.
