Nerlens Noel: Still Pissed
Nerlens Noel doesn’t want to be here. Or he does, but not with Jahlil Okafor. That’s the case. He was pushed to power forward at times last year, an unnatural position, to accommodate Jah, and last night – in the first game with Embiid, Okafor, and Nerlens healthy – he was obviously the odd man out.
Joel Embiid played 28 minutes. Jahlil Okafor played 23 minutes. Nerlens Noel played 18 minutes fewer than Nik Stauskas, and ended the game with 2 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in 8 minutes. It’s a contract year for him. He’s not thrilled.
In case you missed Nerlens last night, here is his post-game video: pic.twitter.com/Y5xVncqSyX
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) December 17, 2016
“Like I said, the guys who run the operations do what they do. It is what it is. I just wanna be on the court playing basketball, I don’t care who it’s with. I’m not an eight minute player so I dunno what that’s about. I don’t care where…I just wanna be on the court playing basketball. I think I’m too good to be playing eight minutes. Nah that’s crazy. Need to figure this shit out.”
It’s not the first time Noel voiced his displeasure, and he’s as right now as he was then. Perhaps the worst thing Sam Hinkie could have done was leave the Sixers with Embiid, Noel, and Okafor, figuring Embiid would be healthy and very good. But in Hinkie’s absence, Bryan Colangelo has also failed to make any move to clear up the Sixers’ #1 issue. While maybe Nerlens shouldn’t be the one to go, the story is obviously being written that way. Just please, finish it.