Instead of fans asking themselves what Nerlens Noel can do over the final 10 games of the year to prove that he’s a legitimate contender for Rookie of the Year, perhaps they should be asking what on earth he would have to fall out of the discussion.

Much of the attention throughout this season has gone to presumptive ROY, and first-overall pick, Andrew Wiggins, who leads all rookies in scoring by a wide margin and has been every bit as electrifying as he was expected to be coming out of Kansas as a freshman.

And while for much of the season, Wiggins has been in a class by himself, the recent play of Noel, Elfrid Payton, and Nikola Mirotic has flipped the debate on its head. All four players have been terrific in their inaugural NBA campaigns, but the fact of the matter is that the Sixers’ rookie big man is doing something unprecedented, and that mustn’t go unnoticed.

We look to history to shape our expectations and our opinions when it comes to young players. And every night it feels as if we are able to say, “Nerlens Noel is the first player to notch [insert ridiculous stat line] since [insert legendary player] in [insert date from before Noel was born].”

Since the All-Star break, the 6’11” big man is first in the league in blocks and second in steals (two behind San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard); on the year, he ranks fifth and ninth in those categories, respectively, and is the only player top-10 in both. Over his last 20 games, he has gone for six or more combined blocks and steals on eight occasions. For context, when Gerald Wallace became the fourth, and most recent, player to average at least 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals in a season in 2004-05, he reache 6+ just 17 times all year.

Simply put, the 20-year-old is doing things that 20-year-olds just aren’t supposed to do in the NBA. And, heck, 10-year veterans aren’t really supposed to do them either.

“Listen, people have to a start really talking about him for rookie of the year,” Sixers head coach Brett Brown implored following a 14-points, 15-rebounds, four-block, and four-steal performance that made Noel the first Sixer to hit those marks since Charles Barkley in 1986. “You don’t just repetitively bang out these types of performances and produce the numbers he is producing. He is a complete game-changer. He is a complete defensive presence when he is lurking to block shots… He keeps moving up the food chain and heading in the direction that we are all so thrilled about.”

The NBA world has slowly, but surely, taken notice.

On Wednesday, Noel overtook the top spot on NBA.com’s Rookie Ladder for the first time this season, and a week before that Grantland’s Ben Detrick wrote a piece about Noel entitled, “The Other Rookie of the Year.”

Noel leads all rookies in rebounds (8.0), blocks (2.0), and steals (1.8) per game, ranks fifth in scoring (9.6 PPG), is shooting at a better clip (46.1 FG%) than any others in the top 10 in scoring, and six more double-doubles (15) than any other first-year player. And when he’s on the floor for the Sixers, the team experiences positive effects in defensive efficiency, opponent field-goal percentage, and trips to the free-throw line by the opposition. Among all players, Noel ranks third in defensive box plus-minus, fifth in defensive win shares, and seventh in defensive rating; only three others players rank top-10 in all three categories, Draymond Green, Marc Gasol, and DeAndre Jordan. Hover over the chart comparing the way opponents are performing offensively against the Sixers this season with Noel versus last season without him (via StatMuse.com).

As a result of Wednesday’s 99-85 win over the Nuggets, the Sixers now rank 10th in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions, something that hasn’t been the case for the team since the 2011-12 season, when Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala led Philadelphia in individual defensive rating.

At age 20, Nerlens Noel isn’t just keeping afloat as a rookie, he’s helping lead a defensive revival. And for that reason, his name can’t be overlooked when selecting this season’s Rookie of the Year.