Atlanta Hawks: 3 free-agent centers to strengthen the bench

Atlanta Hawks free-agent center No. 2: Nerlens Noel gave the Knicks solid minutes as a fill-in starter and off the bench in the playoffs

An original piece of the Philadelphia 76ers “process”, Nerlens Noel never panned out mostly due to injury. He missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury) and has spent his career as a journeyman bringing defense and rebounding off the bench. His skill set has allowed him to thrive as a specialist and he put himself on some radars this postseason.

Noel averaged a career-high 2.2 blocks per game — which was good enough for third in the league — to go along with 1.1 steals.

It was Noel’s third consecutive season with over a block per game and his sixth in seven healthy campaigns. It’s why his rebounding numbers being less than ideal is often overlooked. Sending shots away and altering them is plenty helpful.

He had six points, three boards, two blocks, and a steal for the Knicks in Game 1 versus the Hawks. But an ankle injury suffered in Game 2 forced him out of the starting lineup for the remainder of the series. He actually had his best performance of the postseason coming off the bench in Game 3 with 12 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.

He’ll never offer much on offense outside of putbacks and lobs, but the Hawks know how to work with that and rookie Onyeka Okongwu can put points up with the second unit.

The real question is the competition, though, Atlanta is in a better position to win than any of his reported suitors as one of the final four teams.

Their biggest concern will be those teams offering him an exorbitant amount to be their starter. The right situation, like Toronto who is said to have interest, could make an attractive pitch. Still, when healthy, the Hawks are better than the Raptors who are set to lose Kyle Lowry.