Wednesday marked the end of Nerlens Noel's 10-day contract, and the Nets won't be renewing it. After beginning the season with Detroit, the 28-year-old joined the Nets and has since played in three games.
Nic Claxton's backup was brought in with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 draft because Ben Simmons was out indefinitely, and Day'Ron Sharpe, a former first-round pick, could not come off the bench.
On Thursday, Jacque Vaughn is anticipated to speak about Simmons' health. On the Nets' recent five-game road trip, they won in Houston and lost in Milwaukee. However, the 6-foot-11 Noel has only played seven minutes in the three games since. In his 18 minutes against the Bucks, he grabbed six rebounds.
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Before Tuesday's game, Vaughn observed, "It's interesting, as I was talking to one of the coaches, sometimes you get a 10-day [contract], and that guy doesn't play. And [Noel] has played frequently.
So we've now had a chance to observe him. He has taken charges, made blocks at the rim, and demonstrated the capacity to be active while utilizing his speed and quickness. So those are the things Nerlens has shown.
Since his time at Kentucky, Noel has been a letdown, even during his two previous campaigns with the Knicks. Cam Thomas went from being the NBA's talk of the league to being benched by the Nets.
The more seasoned Seth Curry had replaced the second-year guard, who gained notoriety when he scored at least 40 points in three straight games after Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving left the team last month. The guard has virtually disappeared.
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Since March 1, the 21-year-old has not played longer than seven minutes in a game, and in the Nets' previous five contests, he has been benched twice. Curry has returned to the court as Thomas is injured.
Following three consecutive Nets losses, Curry returned to the rotation on March 1 after barely playing for most of February. Curry struggled from the floor in his first game back with significant playing time, and the Knicks handed the Nets their fourth straight loss.
Curry, however, has since played generally well, and the Nets have won five of their last seven games. Curry, 32, is in his tenth NBA season and has made four playoff appearances; Thomas, on the other hand, made his playoff debut just 22 seconds ago when the Celtics swept the Nets in four games.
