Getty Nerlens Noel of the New York Knicks passes the ball in the second half against the Denver Nuggets.
Nerlens Noel may have been traded to the Detroit Pistons this past offseason after having spent the last two seasons with the New York Knicks, but now, eight months after his ouster, the veteran big man has found his way back to the Big Apple.
According to a report by SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley, the 28-year-old was scooped up off the free agency market by the Brooklyn Nets, as the two parties agreed on a short-term, 10-day contract.
Nerlens Noel’s deal with the Nets is a 10-day contract, team says
Since being selected sixth overall back in the 2013 NBA Draft, Noel has now represented six different organizations throughout his professional career with his recent signing with Brooklyn.
Seeing action on just 14 occasions with Detroit in 2022-23, the center wrapped up his tenure in the Motor City with mere averages of 2.3 points and 2.6 assists and boasts career averages of 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Knicks Julius Randle Wins Player of the Week
Though the aforementioned former Knicks big may be struggling to keep his playing career alive at the moment, current big man Julius Randle finds himself absolutely thriving, and, earlier in the day on March 6, the league officially announced that the 28-year-old has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Randle has managed to post sensational averages of 29.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 52.6% shooting from the floor and 46.5% shooting from deep while guiding New York to four straight wins during this time span.
Following his highly underwhelming 2021-22 campaign, Randle has stormed back with yet another All-Star-worthy campaign in his fourth season with the Knicks, as he’s averaging 25.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 46.8% shooting from the floor and 35.5% shooting from distance and is sporting the best box plus-minus of his career of +4.6.
His Player of the Week honor marks his first win of the season and his fifth nomination.
Randle Opens Up on Workload With Knicks
Julius Randle’s point and rebound totals aren’t the only statistical categories that have increased considerably this season, as he finds himself ranked second in the association in total minutes played with 2,374, equating to an average of 36 minutes per game.
When asked following New York’s win over the Boston Celtics how he manages to stay fresh, the big man opened up about the steps he’s been taking to keep himself ready to take on such a heavy workload on a nightly basis.
“I think it’s my mental before anything. You know, a lot of work goes into that every day to make sure I’m mentally refreshed, (that I’m) coming in with a positive attitude, just feeling good about myself and what’s going on. And then I put a lot of work into my body, you know, every day, days in between games, to make sure that I’m doing things and taking necessary steps and checking things off my list to make sure every day, every game I’m coming in (and) I’m feeling good,” Randle said.
Randle would continue by stating that “meditation, prayer, sleep” and spending time with his kids have been the main ways in which he “refreshes” himself now in his ninth season in the league.