Dallas Mavericks: 5 goals for Nerlens Noel in 2017-18

4. Turn his bench role into a starting one

The Dallas Mavericks haven’t held back on how they’re going to use Nerlens Noel this season. It looks like he’ll be coming off the bench in 2017-18, but that doesn’t mean he can’t turn that into a positive.

Head coach Rick Carlisle is a good coach and sometimes he does things like this to get the most out of his players. Nerlens Noel is a player who has yet to play to his full potential, mostly due to injury.

Coming off the bench isn’t necessarily a punishment for Noel, as he can provide a huge spark and a solid defensive paint presence in a reserve role. Dirk Nowitzki is currently listed as the presumed starter at the center position.

Harrison Barnes will start at power forward at a small-ball 4 with Wesley Matthews manning the 3-spot, but only for now.

Averaging a double-double would certainly help improve Noel’s status in the rotation. The Mavericks are thin in the frontcourt, which could fare well for Noel in the end. The likelihood of Dirk maintaining the starting center job would slim down exponentially with strong performances from Nerlens Noel.