Last season, Nerlens Noel led the Sixers in made field goals, rebounds, blocks, steals, and minutes played. And he did all this despite being the youngest player on a team that fielded 19 players under the age of 25 throughout the year.

In his first professional season, Noel made history, joining Hall of Fame center David Robinson as just the second rookie in NBA history to average at least 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. The 6’11” big man was the only player in the league to rank in the top 10 in both blocks and steals per game, and his season averages of 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.8 steals per game made him the first player to hit those marks since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994-95.

The sad reality is that despite the historic nature of Nerlens Noel’s achievements last season, they were largely overshadowed by more modest accomplishments by other rookies on the offensive end of the floor.

Andrew Wiggins is the name that most frequently pops up in Rookie of the Year discussions, and, let’s be clear, he’s coming off a fantastic season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He led all rookies in scoring by a wide margin, averaging 16.9 points on 43.7% from the field to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

But despite Wiggins’ impressive “counting stats”, his impact upon the Timberwolves’ offense, ranked 26th in the league, was marginal. The 20-year-old swingman contributed to a surplus of 1.4 points scored per 100 possessions when on the floor for the Wolves versus off of it, but Minnesota still ranked fifth to last in offensive rating in both circumstances.

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One of the most underrated storylines in the NBA last season was the progression of the Sixers’ defense. In 2013-14, the team ranked 27th in defensive rating, allowing 107.5 points per 100 possessions, but in Brett Brown’s second year at the helm, Philadelphia rose to 12th (102.1).

Sure, players like Jerami Grant and Robert Covington contributed to that turnaround, as did Michael Carter-Williams and K.J. McDaniels before February’s trade deadline, but this accomplishment really belongs to Nerlens Noel.

When the former sixth-overall pick was on the floor last season, the Sixers allowed 4.0 fewer points per 100 possessions than when he was on the bench. Philadelphia’s 100.4 defensive rating with Noel on the floor was good for sixth in the NBA; when he was off the floor, the team posted a 104.4 defensive rating, good for 21st in the league.

Looking at SportVU tracking data, Noel’s impact on the defensive end is only highlighted further. Among the 20 players in the league who defended the most shots within five feet of the basket last season, the rookie big man ranked third in opponent field-goal percentage, allowing just a 45.4% conversion rate. And in 26 games after the All-Star break, he held opponents to 9.8% below their average conversion rate on shots within 10 feet.

While we’re on the topic of Noel’s play after the break, let’s lay out all of his post-All Star accomplishments. From February 20 on, he averaged 13.1 points (48.7 FG%), 10.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.1 steals per game, numbers that have only been reached on five occasions in league history over the course of an entire season. Noel is five years younger than any of the players who accomplished that feat.

Perhaps what makes Noel most unique is his ability to play the passing lanes and poke balls out on the perimeter. In fact, he’s already established himself as one of the most prolific pickpockets in league history at his position.

Among players 6’11” or taller, Noel is one of just four ever to notch at least 130 steals in a season. His 133 takeaways in 75 games made him the first to hit that mark since Kevin Garnett totaled 139 in 1997-98. When Noel is on the floor, 2.9% of opponents’ possessions end with him stealing the ball, a number that ranks first all-time amongst players his height.

But his gaudy numbers as a defensive playmaker shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. As a freshman at Kentucky, he averaged 4.4 blocks and 2.1 steals per game, and his rate of combined blocks and steals per minute was the third highest in NCAA history behind Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. His ability to make an impact on the offensive end, on the other hand, was a major source of uncertainty heading into his rookie season with the Sixers. And despite early struggles on the offensive end, Noel showed towards the end of the year that he could be an asset there as well.

Over the final 20 games of the season, he scored in double figures 14 times, averaging 15.3 points per game on 54.4% shooting in those contests. On March 20, he topped 20 points for the first time since high school, scoring 23 on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks in a 97-81 win over the Knicks. One week later, he set a new career high, dropping 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Delving deeper into advanced statistics, we find overwhelming support for Noel’s Rookie of the Year case. He finished second among rookies in player efficiency rating (15.0) to Nikola Mirotic (17.9), who played nearly 700 minutes fewer than Noel and who started just three games for the Bulls. He finished first among rookies and fourth among all players in defensive box plus-minus, a measure of impact upon opponent points per 100 possessions over a theoretical replacement player (-4.5). He also finished first among rookies and 10th among all players in defensive win shares (4.2), an estimate of wins produced in a season as a result of individual defense. His defensive rating, referenced earlier, also ranks first amongst rookies and eighth amongst all players. No other rookies finished in the top 20 in offensive or defensive box plus-minus, offensive or defensive win shares, or offensive or defensive rating. In fact, only Rudy Gobert and Tim Duncan hit the marks that Noel did in defensive box plus-minus, defensive win shares, and defensive rating last season, and only 21 other players have ever hit those marks in a season.

Simply put, Andrew Wiggins and Nikola Mirotic had fine offensive seasons when compared to other rookie classes, and Marcus Smart, Jordan Clarkson, and Elfrid Payton had their moments, but Nerlens Noel’s performance defensively was downright historic, rookie or otherwise. And for that reason, he deserves Rookie of the Year more than any of them.