Getty Nerlens Noel of the Dallas Mavericks.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnorowski, a former member of the Dallas Mavericks has found a new home in the NBA.
Wojnorowski reported Friday night that Nerlens Noel was signing a deal to join the Brooklyn Nets.
“Free agent center Nerlens Noel is signing a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, his agent George Langberg tells ESPN,” Woj tweeted. “After completing buyout with Pistons, Noel joins a Nets team needing some size off the bench.”
Free agent center Nerlens Noel is signing a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, his agent @GeorgeLangberg tells ESPN. After completing buyout with Pistons, Noel joins a Nets team needing some size off the bench.
Noel, who was drafted sixth overall in 2014, was bought out by the Detroit Pistons earlier this week.
During his short stint in Detroit, he appeared in 14 games for the Pistons, averaging 2.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 10.8 minutes per game.
The 28-year-old spent a season and a half in Dallas from 2017-2018. Noel suited up for the Mavs 52 times, including 18 times as a starter. In those appearances, he averaged 6.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game, in 18.4 minutes each time.
Kyrie Irving Praises Luka Doncic After Mavs Down 76ers
The Mavericks actually took down the team that drafted Noel, the Philadelphia 76ers, on March 2. Dallas’ 133-126 victory saw their star duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic combine to score 82 points. It was the first time two Mavericks teammates each scored over 40 points in a single game, according to ESPN.
Irving, who hung 40 on the Sixers, looked like a whole new man compared to how he played against the Indiana Pacers. In that game, he scored just 16 points on 7-19 shooting.
Following his team’s big win against Philly, Kyrie explained his mindset and shared some praise for Doncic, when speaking to the media.
“I just embraced my teammates,” Irving said. “It was a hard-fought game. And we did everything to make sure we were poised down the stretch. We’re just paying attention to the game plan. There’s been a few losses over last week where we felt like they were very winnable games, and it came down to the [final] stretch. You know, three points, four points, two points. So, it was definitely a different approach tonight for us as a team because we really wanted this. I really wanted this. But I think, like I said, the last time I was sitting up here, I just had to join the party. You know, and just make sure my teammates were going to follow along. And Luka was ready for the party, I was ready for the party tonight. And it was one of those games where we had some special performances, and I’m just grateful that the work translated because it could have gone either way. We could either kind of lay down and just let things happen and kind of blame it on the refs or blame it on other things, but sitting up here every single night and not having excuses. It’s knowing we just got to respond and do what’s necessary to win ball games. So, it felt good.”
Tobias Harris Discusses Mavs’ Kyrie Irving & Luka Doncic’s Big Night
Philadelphia forward Tobias Harris was on the wrong side of the Dallas backcourt’s offensive explosion on Thursday.
After his team’s loss, Harris discussed the difficulty of defending two high-level scorers when they’re in such a zone.
“Two guys [darn] near had a 100 points on us,” Harris told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “But that was tough with one wizard with the basketball in Luka. Now they got two of them out there. So I mean, those are tough matchups. Those are some of the best guys with the basketball in the whole league. And they just picked us apart tonight just being able to get to their spots and raise up and score. You got to give them a lot of credit, too, because they made tough shots.”