With a roster heavy in the backcourt and on the wings, the Chicago Bulls need to add size. But, as was the case last season, just because they have not come away with anyone to address that yet does not mean they have not tried.
“Before Nerlens Noel agreed to a one-year, $3.1 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls also expressed exploratory interest,” wrote Michael Scotto of HoopsHype on July 21. “In Sacramento, Noel – entering his 10th NBA season – is expected to provide an interior shot-blocking presence off the bench.”
That skill set is something the Bulls could certainly use.
Noel averaged 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds this past season in 17 total appearances split between the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons.
Found a broadcast clip of Nerlens Noel talking about what he felt like brought to BKN on defense, who he played 3 games for at the end of last season.
“I like to think of myself as a defensive first player… I just play hard, do my job, set screens, and play winning basketball.
The No. 6 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, he failed to average at least 1.0 blocks per game for the first time in five seasons and just the second time in his career, averaging 1.6 blocks from 2018-19 on through the 2021-22 season.
Nerlens Noel Can Fill Big Need for Bulls
In his last fully healthy season, Noel averaged 5.1 points, 6.4 boards, 2.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals across 64 appearances for the New York Knicks. The 6-foot-11 big man would be tied with Bulls starting center Nikola Vucevic and backup Andre Drummond as the tallest players on an otherwise small roster crowded with guards and wings.
Noel is one of the more switchable bigs defensively so Bulls head coach Billy Donovan might be able to steal some minutes with both him and Vucevic on the floor together.
But what he lacks in positional versatility he makes up for by doing what he does well.
❌ Nerlens Noel locks down the paint for @nyknicks on ESPN!
The Bulls’ leading shot-blocker last season was Patrick Williams, a 6-foot-7 forward, while Vucevic averaged 0.7 blocks and Drummond 0.4 blocks. Opponents shot 66.4% in the restricted area against the Bulls last season, per NBA.com, 16th in the league.
Durability has not been a strength of Noel’s. He’s appeared in more than 70 games just twice in his decade-long career and has not done so since 2018-19.
He does have ties to the coaching staff, though.
Nerlens Noel Has Ties to Bulls HC Billy Donovan
Noel was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets but was traded soon after the draft to the Philadelphia 76ers. After missing his rookie season due to injury, he suited up for Philly for two-plus seasons before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks and has played for Donovan as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder for two seasons.
Donovan had even tried to recruit Noel to the University of Florida before the latter chose the University of Kentucky instead.
“I knew we were going to have a hard time,” Donovan told Maddie Lee for the Oklahoman in 2020. “And the people I respected, they were honest. They probably said, ‘You’re on the outside looking in on this one.’”
Rim protector… Nerlens Noel! 💪
Noel averaged 6.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in his two seasons with the Thunder and was high on Donovan.
“Just a classy dude,” Noel told Lee. “He’s just real laid back. He’s just a people person that knows how to get along with people and set the vibes right. He’s a leader in his own right, and I saw that early on. That’s why Florida was in my Top 3.”
Perhaps the two can reunite in Chicago.
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Bulls Had ‘Exploratory Interest’ in Shot-Blocking Former Top-10 Pick