For most of the season the Sixers had a logjam in the frontcourt, trying to determine how to best utilize natural centers Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor.
The question has shifted, though, from who is best suited play center to who is healthy and available?
With Okafor (meniscus tear), Richaun Holmes (Achilles strain), Jerami Grant and Robert Covington (concussion protocols) all sidelined, the Sixers are looking primarily to Noel, Carl Landry and Elton Brand as their centers.
The injury-depleted roster magnifies the need for Noel at the five, a position that was in flux not too long ago.
“I’m going to the be the guy that’s counted on most of the time [at center],” Noel said Tuesday after the Sixers' loss to the Nets in Brooklyn. “If my minutes are up, then I'm going to have to be prepared to be able to stay on the court for longer durations of time, and to be able to help my team, especially on the defensive end. I think I’m in a good position right now, there’s a lot of spacing on the floor.”
Noel had played out of position at power forward while Okafor played center for the first half of the season. Brett Brown decided after the All-Star break to start Noel at the five and Okafor at the four.
Now, wings and even guards are playing power forward because of the Sixers' limited options. Even though the team is shorthanded, Brown still tries to monitor minutes in segments so one individual isn’t tasked with managing mega playing time.
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“You’ve just got to handle it as, we’ve got to throw guys into positions they’re not used to, like Hollis (Thompson) and Kendall (Marshall) playing the four,” Noel said. “With E.B. (Brand) and Carl, they give us good minutes. They can come in and hold the fort down. We’re going to need a lot from our small forwards and we need to step up on help on the boards.”
Noel missed two games recently with a bruised right knee. He is averaging 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 33.0 minutes in his four games back from injury.
For the season, Noel is posting 14.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 dimes, 1.6 blocks and 29.2 minutes in 20 games as the starting center, in comparison to 9.4 points, 8.0 boards, 1.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 29.4 minutes over 34 games starting at forward.
After playing out of position because of crowding, Noel now finds himself manning the center spot in a quickly thinned-out frontcourt.
“I think I was doing more managing at the four,” Noel said. “At the five, I’m a lot more free, freelancing, able to do a lot more with my activity, and being able to play off my energy and get guys involved.”