Noel frustrated with role: 'I think I'm too good to be playing 8 minutes'

Defensive center Nerlens Noel is reaching his breaking point with the Philadelphia 76ers as it pertains to his role with the team and the glutton of big men he has to fight with for minutes.

The 22-year-old saw the floor for just eight minutes off the bench in Philadelphia's 100-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers - who began the evening riding an eight-game losing streak - on Friday. He finished with two points, five rebounds, and a rejection, while missing three of his four attempts from the charity stripe.

Needless to say, Noel wasn't a happy camper after the game.

"I think I'm too good to be playing eight minutes. That's crazy. That's crazy. That's crazy. We need to figure this shit out," he said, according to CSN Philly's Jessica Camerato.

"It's just too much on the coach's plate. So regardless of who handles it, I think there's a lot of frustration."

Noel has been outspoken in the past over how he feels it would be in the team's best interest to move one of their frontcourt players, as there's simply too much talent and not enough playing time to go around. While he hasn't come out and demanded a trade, the belief is that a change of scenery would be most welcome.

Related - Report: Trade partners turned off by Noel's work habits

Rookie Joel Embiid and sophomore Jahlil Okafor are clearly ahead of Noel in the pecking order, with the two combining for 29 points, 12 rebounds, two dimes, and two blocks against Los Angeles. Forward Ersan Ilyasova was also in the mix, contributing a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards in 27 minutes.

It was just Noel's second appearance of the season for Philadelphia, having missed a better part of the year after undergoing knee surgery. Once he returned against the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 11, he suffered an ankle injury which cost him yet another game.