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Nerlens Noel Knee Surgery
Nerlens Noel entered the 2016-2017 season knowing that playing time would come at a premium. The most likely opportunity would be the opening of the year, while both Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor were on minutes restrictions. Rather than show up and handle the load, he opted for surgery on his knee.
Once more, it was a decision with plenty of room for second guessing. Nerlens Noel needs playing time this year, and his most likely window of earning the lion’s share was opening the season. Instead, he became an unexpected scratch, which led to speculation about the motives.
That wasn’t there a second ago…
You see, everyone was caught off guard by the sudden “nope, can’t play” from Noel.
On stat sheet, there is no reason given for Nerlens Noel not being in uniform. #Sixers
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) October 6, 2016
There is no doubt that Nerlens Noel suffered pain, and may need to “clean up” his knee several times throughout his professional NBA career. But the fact that the scratch was a surprise to the team speaks volumes. Add to that the term “Noel elected to have surgery”, and you’ve uncovered plenty of reasons to believe there is a possibility of negative undercurrents.