Think Nerlens Noel will ever win Defensive Player of the Year?

Sorry, I'm a Sixers fan. I've embraced tanking, but if next year isn't the start of actually trying to put a good team on the court I'm gonna be worried. Anyway, Noel is the bright spot right now that gives me hope.

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Noel is very, very close to averaging 2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game (as of Thursday, he’s averaging 1.9 blocks and 1.7 steals per game.) He actually was puling off the statistical feat until suffering a mini-block drought to end March. So why is the benchmark significant? It's rare for one player to possess the defensive skills needed to protect the rim and disrupt passing lanes and pester ball handlers. Consider this: Only one other rookie since the NBA started counting blocks in 1973 averaged at least 2 blocks and 1.5 steals his rookie season—David Robinson in 1989-90. Even more impressive for Noel is that Robinson was 24 his rookie year, after playing four years at Navy and serving two years of military service. Noel turns 21 on Friday, meaning he will put up historic numbers in a season in which he can’t legally drink.

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And Noel’s defensive numbers aren’t just impressive compared to other rookies, they hold up against just about anyone else in the league. That 2/1.5 plateau? Anthony Davis is the only other player in the NBA to reach it this year. For some perspective on how rare it is to combine those skills: Tim Duncan, widely considered to be the best defensive player of his generation, has never averaged 2/1.5. Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, hit that mark exactly one time, in his eighth year as a pro. While there’s obviously more to playing defense than racking up vanity stats, Noel’s season is still incredible, especially given how rookies typically struggle to pick up professional defense.

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