NBA scores 2017: 76ers revisit Nerlens Noel trade, which still isn’t completely sensible

Philadelphia demolished Dallas, but it doesn’t yet validate the Noel trade.

Mar 18, 2017, 12:00 PM UTC

NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Philadelphia 76ers

John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers won the Nerlens Noel trade — if you base it only on Friday’s one-game sample size.

Facing Noel’s new team, the 76ers annihilated the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in a 116-74 victory. Justin Anderson, a young player who had arrived in Philadelphia in the trade, both outscored and outrebounded Noel in a complete thrashing of a game. Richaun Holmes, who replaced Noel in the rotation, posted 17 points and seven rebounds.

Unfortunately, we all know that trades aren’t graded by a single game — even a 42-point blowout. That will only earn Philadelphia bragging rights.

It’s not that Noel played poorly on Friday, to be clear — in fact, quite the opposite. Noel might have been the best Maverick in the game, bringing him off the bench for nine points, five rebounds, and three assists. In 18 minutes, Noel was minus-8 for the evening. In a blowout as bad as Friday’s, that plus-minus figure was tied for the best on the team.

This is the player that Noel has been since going to Dallas, which must not surprise anyone. In eight games this season, Noel is averaging 10 points and eight rebounds on 59 percent shooting from the field. With him in the lineup, Dallas is 6-2 — losing to teams like Phoenix without him, when Noel missed a few games earlier this week, but beating quality rosters like Washington.

Injuries or off-court drama are always possible, but it appears that Noel will be incredibly good. Dallas has been hunting for a true rim-running, shot-blocking center since parting ways with Tyson Chandler, and this is someone who can finally fill that void. Noel isn’t him, but they have clear similarities.

For Philadelphia, this isn’t about the fact that it traded a big man — that needed to happen. With Joel Embiid emerging, the frontcourt simply didn’t fit with him, Jahlil Okafor, and Noel all crammed together.

However, injuries strike, and even Embiid has shown he’s not a sure thing after going down for the rest of the season. It sure would be nice for Philadelphia to have a reliable former lottery pick to plug in...only for Noel to be suited up for the other team.

It would have made more sense to trade Okafor, who simply cannot do anything but score. Even in a 42-point blowout, his line was this: 10 points, 4-of-8 shooting, six turnovers, plus-1 for the game. That’s miserable, and despite the made field goals, there’s really not a good place for it in the modern NBA.

If Philadelphia had received a decent haul for Noel, it would be more bearable. To be sure, Anderson — a highly athletic wing whose jump shot may or may not translate — is still a nice prospect. But the team’s two second round picks it’ll receive from Dallas proves it never had a chance at the team’s top overall selection.

Certainly for a night, the winner of the Nerlens Noel trade was clear. No one expects that answer to stay the same for too long, though.

Boston beat the Nets, which is cruel

The Celtics are on their way to either the No. 2 or 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. With every win they earn, their first-round draft pick falls lower — which is just how the NBA works.

But for a rare moment on Friday, the Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets and found out something else: They improved their draft stock by winning. See, the Nets are the worst team in the league, and Boston has the chance to nab their pick this draft. Obviously, they will do that. While Brooklyn is all but guaranteed the No. 1 odds when the lottery occurs, it will give Boston even more room to bolster its young, developing lineup.