Norvel Pelle Draws Comparisons to Nerlens Noel

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- With Al Horford out of the Philadelphia 76ers lineup for the second-straight night, Sixers' head coach Brett Brown decided to mix some things up. Typically, if Horford is out, Sixers' veteran Kyle O'Quinn would take up the backup center minutes when Joel Embiid is not on the floor.

On Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans, though, Brown decided to toy around a bit. Instead of giving O'Quinn a majority of the reserve minutes, he offered up nearly 12 minutes off the bench to two-way G-League center, Norvel Pelle.

Although Pelle has been around the Sixers' organization for quite some time now, the 26-year-old center has recently made a name for himself as he put on an amazing show-stopping performance late in a preseason game months back.

Pelle's defensive performance during the preseason was so intriguing; it caused Brett Brown to give the Delaware Blue Coats' center a shot to garner some true NBA minutes at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks back in November. And just like he did in the preseason, Pelle put on a block party with four swats.

It took a while for Brett Brown to offer some more minutes to Pelle later on down the line, but recently he's played a total of 24 minutes in two separate games. While his performance against the Cavaliers last week wasn't all that memorable, Pelle brought back the action this past Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.

After blocking three shots, snagging five boards, and accounting for six points, it's safe to say that once again, Pelle passed another test in the NBA. After the win over New Orleans, Brett Brown was quite pleased with his two-way center.

"I thought he was really good," Brown boasted after the win. "He's a Nerlens [Noel] type to me. A rim protector, shot-blocker, and quick off the floor." Despite nearly fouling out, Brown was hardly worried about Pelle's troubles. "I almost don't even care," he said in regards to a total of fouls he accounted for. "You know, he played hard, and he fouled."

Along with Brett Brown, multiple teammates of Pelle's raved about his performance as well. Point guard Ben Simmons would agree with his coach's player comparison for Pelle, saying, "he reminds me of Nerlens," after the game. "He's got the same body size, he can run the floor, and he's very athletic," Simmons observed.

As for fellow Sixers center Joel Embiid, he sent some heavy praise towards Pelle's direction too. "I told him if he got the minutes, he would lead the league in Blocks," Embiid said. "He has the chance to be a fan favorite, so he should just keep doing whatever he is doing."

The Blue Coats center is a long way from garnering big-time minutes for the 76ers, but his stock is definitely rising after another strong performance against the Pelicans. He knows that every minute he gets in the NBA, he can improve his chances of becoming a valuable piece to the Sixers. The hope is that in due time, he can pick up Nerlens Noel type of minutes on a game-by-game basis.