20130927_jla_se7_225.jpg

Nerlens Noel has not played since tearing his ACL while in college

(Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

When the Sixers grabbed Kansas center Joel Embiid with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, there were plenty of immediate questions -- and most of them centered about his health.

Putting his fractured foot aside, however, another question about the selection of Embiid was what it meant for the Sixers' rookie center from last seasn, Nerlens Noel.

Noel, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, does not seem to be a natural fit with Embiid. Both played center in college and showed limited offensive games outside of the paint. When asked about how the two would fit together, general manager Sam Hinkie did not sound too concerned.

"It'll be interesting. I don't know," Hinkie said. "I think Nerlens will play more center than power forward in the summer league. If you talk to Nerlens and you talk to Joel, they say they can easily play with each other. It should be interesting to see how it plays out."

How it will play itself out is more than a year away, as Embiid likely won't play this season. But when the two do take the court together, a look back at their high-school tape might be a key to how the Sixers plan on making it work.

Looking at a player in high-school is a mixed bag when evaluating them for the NBA. On one hand, more times than not, they are playing against competition that is far inferior to them. Still, a look at the high-school tape does give you the ability to see the raw skills a player has -- especially when it comes to Noel.

When Noel played his high-school basketball at Tilton School in New Hampshire, he looked like more of a swingman than a center on offense. Look at the way Noel attacks the basket, runs the floor, and passes the ball.

Here is another example of how Noel can make things happen when attacking the basket from the perimeter (mixed in with some viscous blocks on the defensive end).

Granted, he is playing against high-schoolers. But Noel looks way more natural doing what he did in high-school than the role he played at Kentucky.

When Noel got to Kentucky, he no longer attacked the basket. He was a center, and did the majority of his work on the offense end with his back to the basket. Here is a sampling of how that ended up looking:

Pretty awkward, and pretty ineffective.

It isn’t just Noel's game that does not resemble a center. At 6-foot-11, Noel is only just now up to 220 pounds after a year of putting on weight. He is not built like a center, and he really doesn’t play like one either.

Embiid, on the other hand, absolutely looks and plays the part of a true NBA center.

Embiid played his high-school ball at The Rock School in Florida. This video below is a collection of his games, and as you can see, Embiid spends nearly all of his time working out of the paint like a true center.

Embiid showed the same kind of offensive ability in college, and has a much better back to the basket game than Noel does.

While the high-school tape only means so much, it seems to show that Noel and Embiid have very different skill sets, and really on the offensive end, don't even look like they should the same position. Which is why it doesn't sound like the Sixers plan to play them at one.

The Sixers spent all of last season working on Noel's offensive game, and at least the portion the media saw was focused on his midrange game. Head coach Brett Brown hinted as much speaking after the draft.

"I do think that Joel and Nerlens can co-exist," Brown said. "I look forward to letting everyone seeing the improvement in (Noel's) shot. I saw all of his shots at Kentucky, and I don't remember seeing a 16-foot shot. I look forward to you guys seeing his shot, and where he was compared to where he now is."

Although they are a year away from having to decide, the tape -- and Noel's new jump shot -- could be a sign the Sixers plan on using Noel as more of a swingman on offense than a center like Embiid. Noel clearly has the ability to attack the basket, something Embiid does not. Moving Noel away from the basket, and giving it to him on the perimeter to drive to the basket, would clear space for Embiid in the middle.

The idea of Noel being more of a swingman than a pure center is a little outside of the box. As the Sixers collect assets without worrying about fit, however, nothing is off the table. Given Noel’s skills, it is certainly worth giving a try.

It is in the Sixers' best interest to tinker around on offense with Noel and Embiid to make it work, because if they do, they could be very special on the defensive end.

"We will be a menace at the rim," said Hinkie. "If you are going to bring violence to the other team, thats the place to do it."

Follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks