Brandon Apter (@bapter23), Managing Editor
After sitting out two games with a corneal abrasion in his left eye, Sixers forward Nerlens Noel is set to return tonight against the Knicks, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey also mentioned that he will wear goggles during the game to protect his eye from further injury.
Noel suffered the injury on Sunday during a 97-76 loss to the Raptors. On his way down from grabbing a rebound, Kyle Lowry's elbow caught Noel's eye, sending the second year forward to the ground in pain.
Though Noel has taken somewhat of a step back from the Rookie of the Year caliber player he was a year ago, the Sixers have missed his defensive presence over the last two games, both of which have resulted in losses of 19 points or more. That being said, Noel's offensive effectiveness has dipped recently and it is likely due in part to Jahlil Okafor's presence. After averaging 14.4 shot attempts in the first five games of the season, he's taken double-digit shot attempts just once over the last 12 games.
With the addition of Mike D'Antoni to the coaching staff, his fast-paced mindset could play more towards Noel's advantage, who has shown the ability to be a stellar defensive player. If Nerlens begins to show signs of the guy he was last year, he could be a much more valuable asset in the long run than Okafor, who has struggled defensively all season.
This season, Noel is averaging 9.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. He's averaging 2.9 turnovers per game, which is up from the 1.9 per contest he averaged last season. His field goal percentage has dropped from 46.2 last season to 43.1 this year. Noel's free throw shooting has also gone down over four percent from last season.
The Sixers return to action tonight against the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center. New York took the first meeting back on December 2nd, 99-87. Jahlil Okafor will matchup with fellow first round pick Kristaps Porzingis for the first time in regular season play. The two played against each other back in the Summer League during an 84-81 Knicks win. Okafor scored 18 points and had six rebounds while Porzingis has nine points, three rebounds and three blocks.
In his first game against the Sixers this season, Porzingis had 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and four blocks. Nerlens Noel had trouble keeping up, scoring just six points on 3-for-11 shooting and grabbing six rebounds.
