Nerlens Noel should easily be atop the Washington Wizards’ free agent target list
One of the few players who can transform a defense from the secondary unit, Nerlens Noel should be a player whose talents are highly sought after. However, for one reason or another, that hasn’t been the case. He was bought out by the Detroit Pistons earlier in the year and hasn’t played since.
During his time with the New York Knicks, Noel was the heart and soul of their suffocating defense. He was the one who stepped up when Mitchell Robinson went down with injury and helped the Knicks make their first playoff berth since 2013.
His amazing timing mixed with solid athleticism and seemingly never-ending arms allow him to block shots at a ridiculous rate. This would make everybody’s job easier as all they would need to do is guide their assignment toward Noel and it will end in a miss more often than not.
On top of his incredible defensive abilities, Noel is a fantastic lob threat and can make good reads out of the post. This puts more pressure on the rim while he’s on offense, opening up shooters more often.
He is absolutely the man for the Wizards to back up Daniel Gafford at the center position.
If the Washington Wizards are able to sign one or two of these five players, it would do wonders for their rotations. They would gain depth as well as experience on contending teams, both of which were severely lacking from the roster last season.