Joel Embiid thinks his ‘best friend’ Nerlens Noel should get more of a chance to play

Joel Embiid wants the chance to play alongside a now-healthy Nerlens Noel, and Philadelphia’s rookie big man made that clear after the Sixers 108-93 loss to the Pelicans on Tuesday.

Sixers fans gave Noel a standing ovation when he checked into Tuesday’s game against New Orleans. With both Embiid and Jahlil Okafor dominating the minutes, Noel is out of the rotation. But Noel has at least one fan pulling for him on the roster.

“I loved it. He’s my best friend on the team and I was really happy for him,” Embiid said of Noel, via Liberty Ballers. ... “I thought he should have played more.”

“I also want to get on the court and see what we can look like together because I like him and I want play with everybody,” Embiid said, via Liberty Ballers. “I feel like if we’re trying something, I feel like we should try the other thing, too. Hopefully in the future they do that.

Embiid has been paired with Jahlil Okafor in the Philadelphia front court. Noel, whom Embiid labeled his best friend, returned from knee surgery this month, but Sixers coach Brett Brown has yet to play the two together.

Noel has played in just three of the Sixers’ five games since his return, combining for only 25 minutes. He voiced his frustrations with his playing time after seeing limited play time in a loss to the Lakers.

“I just want to play basketball,” Noel said to Comcast SportsNet Philly in response to whether he wanted to be paired with another center. “I don’t really care who I’m playing with. I’m not an eight-minute player, so I don’t know what that’s about. I don’t really care. I need to be on the court playing basketball. I think I’m too good to be playing eight minutes. Like, no, that’s crazy. That’s crazy. That’s crazy. They need to figure this shit out.”

Sixers president Bryan Colangelo said he understands Noel’s frustrations, per CSN Philly, and that the decision to cut his minutes was “not a benching.” Rather, it was a move to evaluate all the options in Philadelphia’s front court. He called the Sixers’ center situation “a logjam,” and said that Noel’s injury woes have also factored into the decision.

“This is just a moment of realization that we’ve got a lot of talent on this team and not everybody can play. At some point, you will see him out on the court,” Colangelo said. “When that is, again, it doesn’t need to be black and white with respect to timing or number of games.

“But at this point, I think in order for us to fairly evaluate Nerlens, and for Nerlens to be fairly evaluated, he needs to show that he’s healthy and that he’s professional and that he’s got a good attitude toward everything that’s going on. That may lead to ultimately something that would lead to a move. But, this is not just about Nerlens Noel. This is about an entire roster that we’re looking to make better. I think that when I am having conversations.”

But Embiid thinks the two could have a dynamic defensive effect. In a small sample size this season, the Sixers are outscoring opponents by nearly 16 points per 100 possessions with Noel on the floor. Noel averaged 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 62 games with Philadelphia last season.

“Because I have some type of relationship with him, I think I’m going to get him going, especially on the defensive end,” Embiid said, via Liberty Ballers. “Just being aggressive, blitzing every pick-and-roll, just flying all over the place, I think we can really do that while we’re on the court. Then offensively, I’m sure we’re going to figure that out.”

At this point, it’s clear the Sixers will have to move one of their big men to take a step forward as a franchise. But if the franchise cornerstone and the fan base both want to give Noel a try, pairing the two may be something Brett Brown should look into.