The Dallas Mavericks have had a disastrous season so far. Even though the franchise selected a promising young player in Dennis Smith Jr. in the draft, the Mavericks future still looks a bit bleak.

They clearly have no direction and are going to be without their franchise all-time leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki very soon. Last season, the Mavericks traded for Nerlens Noel, and it was initially a great fit. Noel wasn't really getting any playing time in the 76ers' lineup and the Mavericks needed a young center.

However, the Mavericks' expectations for Noel have been a bit too high, especially since Noel has struggled to stay healthy and log consistent minutes.

There is some good news for Mavericks fan, though. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Noel is scheduled to return for the Mavericks when they play against the Thunder on Wednesday.

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Nerlens Noel will play against the Thunder, although Rick Carlisle isn’t sure how much. “I know this: He’s got fresh legs,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle has been a strong supporter for Noel getting more minutes in his rotation. He has previously expressed that finding consistent minutes for Noel will be his goal once the center his healthy, per Nick Angstadt of SB Nation.

Before the game Carlisle was talking about the younger players on the roster and said this (not verbatim) ‘Nerlens Noel is a long, dynamic big, who is only 23 and we need to get him back, healthy and get him some playing time. He didn't really find his footing early.'

Hopefully, Noel can return to to the Mavericks core rotation and begin providing meaningful minutes for his team moving forward.