October 09, 2015
Matt Slocum/AP
Nerlens Noel dunks against Toronto Raptors' Terrence Ross during the second half, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015, in Philadelphia. Toronto won 91-86.
For the Sixers, things seem to have bottomed out and there's nowhere to go but up.
The climb back into NBA relevance is not going to be an easy one -- or even a short one, for that matter -- but at least it seems like the foundation of a future NBA contender is being put in place. And it all starts with the big men, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor.
That's why it was so nice to see the Sixers pair of healthy big men -- Joel Embiid remains sidelined and was not included in this -- ranked in the Top 100 of ESPN's NBA player rankings. Okafor, the rookie out of Duke who was the third overall pick in June's draft, came in at 90, while Noel, selected sixth overall in 2013 draft, was ranked (appropriately) 76th.
Both players were ranked ahead of 17-time all-star Kobe Bryant, who came in at No. 93. Needless to say, that didn't go over well with some Lakers fans.
@ESPNNBA better than Kobe? 😂😂
— Alex Gomez (@Alex14910) October 9, 2015
@ESPNNBA @Sixers @NerlensNoel3 no way this injury prone dude better then Kobe
— Swayzo (@1PatSwayzee) October 9, 2015
But to be fair, this is based on talent heading into this season, not based on career accomplishments or how good a player was in his prime. Kobe's still good -- it's why he is still in the Top 100 -- but he's a shell of his former self. That's not a knock on the former Lower Merion star, it's just the reality of time and age.
"I don't need to defend that [ranking]. Nobody does, really." @kobebryant reacts his No. 93 spot in our #NBArank. http://t.co/j0QCO2xRhU
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 9, 2015
For Noel, who made the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2015 after missing his first season with an injury he suffered while at Kentucky, that's quite a jump in the rankings. Twenty-six spots, to be exact. He was ranked 102nd last year. Here's what ESPN had to say about Noel when his individual ranking was released earlier on Friday:
His jumper remains a work in progress. Noel shot 29.1 percent beyond 3 feet, and must improve his accuracy to keep defenders from sagging to Jahlil Okafor in the post. On the plus side, Noel is already a capable entry passer from the high post.
Okafor isn't far behind. And among fellow NBA rookies, only top pick Karl-Anthony Towns is higher on the list. He checks in a No. 75, one spot ahead of Noel.Â
Here's a look at the where the rest of the 2015 top 10 picks rank:
| PICK | PLAYER/TEAM | RANK |
| 1 | Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN | 75 |
| 2 | D'Angelo Russell, LAL | 109 |
| 3 | Jahlil Okafor, PHI | 90 |
| 4 | Kristaps Porzingis, NYK | 192 |
| 5 | Mario Hezonja, ORL | 236 |
| 6 | Willie Cauley-Stein, SAC | 175 |
| 7 | Emmanuel Mudiay, DEN | 123 |
| 8 | Stanley Johnson, DET | 206 |
| 9 | Â Frank Kaminsky, CHA | 188 |
| 10 | Justise Winslow | 161 |
It appears the Sixers, at least according to ESPN, did pretty well for themselves. Here's what they wrote about Okafor in their rankings:
The larger questions about Okafor center around the defensive end. He's a below-average shot blocker for a center who often tends to arrive about a half-step later than he needs to be in help position.
Unfortunately for Sixers fans, that's where the good news stops. Noel and Okafor are the only Sixers players ranked in the Top 200. Robert Covington is third on the team at No. 202, followed by Sauce Castillo (Nik Stauskas) as No. 241 and Isaiah Canaan at 243.
Here's the full list of Sixers:
76. Nerlens Noel
90. Jahlil Okafor
202. Robert Covington
241. Nik Stauskas
243. Isaiah Canaan
262. Kendall Marshall
287. Jerami Grant
289. Tony Wroten
319. Carl Landry
331. Pierre Jackson
338. Hollis Thompson
374. JaKarr Sampson
377. Furkan Aldemir
And you can check out the rest of the ESPN rankings, here.
