The Philadelpia 76ers are off to a dreadful start to the season as they have lost their first eight games and they have people wondering when they might finally get in the win column. Although they have had a terrible start they have had some bright spots including rookie Jahlil Okafor and fellow big man Nerlens Noel. Noel has missed the last two games with a wrist injury but there is some debate as to how he suffered the injuries, according to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
The 76ers have said that Noel injured his wrists in their game on Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he fell but that may not be the case. The team has said that Noel injured both wrists but that the right wrist was more sore than his left wrist. Noel did not miss any time after the fall he had against the Cavaliers as he started against the Orlando Magic the next night and played 21 minutes before getting ejected.
After Noel was ejected for an altercation he had with Magic forward Jason Smith he was seen taking a couple of swings at something as he headed back to the locker room. Noel might have been punching the wall or maybe a chair but that seems to be the more reasonable explanation as to how he got hurt considering he only started missing time after this happened. At the very least it seems like Noel re-aggravated the injury he suffered in Cleveland but the 76ers have not said anything about this matter.
In the grand scheme of things this isn't exactly a big deal other than the fact that the 76ers may be withholding the real reason why Noel is missing time. Fans might not like the fact that one of their best players may be missing time because he punched a wall but Noel was just showing emotion after being kicked out of a game and you would rather have a player who cares than one who doesn't. 76ers fans know how frustrating this season has been so far so you can only imagine how frustrated Noel and his teammates must be.
Noel is probable to return to the lineup on Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder so two games seems to be all he will miss with the wrist injury and the 76ers desperately need him back. So far this season Noel is averaging 12.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and also leads the team in steals and blocks so having Noel back definitely increases the 76ers chances of getting their first win.
