The Dallas Mavericks expected Nerlens Noel to be a key player in their future when they acquired him from the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the trade deadline last season. However, Noel has surprisingly been a non-factor for the Mavs this season, averaging just 5.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Noel earned his first DNP-coach’s decision against the Cleveland Cavaliers while Salah Mejri played 10 minutes. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle defended his move post-game, saying that Noel must earn his minutes.
“Look, minutes have to be earned,” Carlisle said per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “At this point, if it's between him and Salah, Salah has earned the minutes. There's no doghouse here. There just isn't. It's pretty simple: You compete, and if you earn minutes, you get minutes. And you've got to compete to keep them, because it's a competitive situation.”
When asked about his thoughts on the situation, the Mavs center did not make a big deal out of it and said the right things like being ready when given the opportunity to play.
“I'm good, I'm good,” Noel said per MacMahon. “I'm a very self-confident player. I know I can go in there and change games. When my number is called, I'll do just that and help some winning efforts. That's all my play style is about, is just winning. When I'm called on, I'll bring my winning effort.”
Nerlens Noel was involved in a lengthy contract dispute with the Mavs this offseason. He was looking for a max contract in restricted free agency and rejected the Mavs’ offer which came short of the max. He instead opted to sign for the qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
But with his numbers significantly down due to the lack of playing time, Noel could find it that much more difficult to land that max contract in the summer. He’ll need to work his way back into Carlisle’s good graces soon if he stands any chance of rehabilitating his rapidly declining stock.
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