NBA: Noel returns – and wants to rehabilitate himself

Nerlens Noel made his comeback for Dallas Mavericks in the game against Oklahoma City Thunder after a break of several months. The Big Man wants to bring the year to a positive conclusion.

Noel had been out of action for a long time with a thumb injury, but he had barely played a role in the Mavericks before. Having been considered a building block of the future in Dallas in the summer, he repeatedly annoyed Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle with a lack of commitment. In the 21 remaining games his reputation will be restored in the best case.

“I didn’t know my badge was broken,”said Noel after the OT defeat against OKC.”But I think 20 games are OK. I’ll just try to present myself in the best possible way and I’m confident that Coach will get me into the right situation to play my game at a high level.”

As Noel’s contract expires, he has to present himself in the best possible light – in Dallas, special attention is paid to how he looks with Rookie-Guard Dennis Smith Jr. harmonious. Noel himself rated the interaction with Smith in the OKC game positively:”I think we’ve never been together on the court before. We have good chemistry to build on,”said Noel.

“When he was on the court, the game became much faster. This has helped to involve everyone and brought a new dynamic into it. “I know he likes to play so fast and that’s the best way for us to succeed.”

Noel played a total of 16:50 minutes and got 4 points and 3 rebounds, but he had some good defensive scenes. Carlisle went on to say that he still has hopes in the talented center.

“It’s an open secret that he is playing for a new contract – let’s be honest,”said the coach,”and we want it to go well. We traded for him with the hope that he will stay in the long run. Sometimes things just don’t go the way they planned. We’re keeping an eye on this now.”