Noel grief explained, “he’s better than what he’s shown”

Nerlens Noel received an early taste of the critical media when Johnathon Givony of DraftExpress.com tweeted concerns over Noel’s play earlier this weekend. Givony felt the wrath of outspoken Kentucky fans everywhere and has already returned to better explain his previous comments and lessen the lashing he’s received from Big Blue Nation.

“I’ve watched Nerlens a lot, and I know he’s a lot better than what he’s shown here,” Givony told Next Cats. “He definitely looks like he’s out of shape. He’s running up and down the court and he looks really, really tired. His fundamentals don’t look great. He’s struggling to get a shot. But all of this is very correctable.”

Givony’s criticism seems more tempered and reasonable after experiencing the vigor of a scorned fanbase this weekend. He even went on to share some praise for Kentucky’s coaching staff. “He has a long way to go in his understanding of the game. But I think the UK staff teaches that better than anything.” There are even more interesting tidbits over at Next Cats, for those curious where Givony stands on other Kentucky players.

In the end, I don’t think Givony’s comments should be too much cause for concern. Even if he’s right and Noel comes in out of shape and unprepared, that will all be changed by the time March rolls around.