NEW YORK – Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel have know each other a long time. A very long time.
“I knew him before the flat top,” Carter-Williams said. “We’ll say that.”
Now, the former AAU teammates with BABC in Boston, are teammates with the 76ers.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Carter-Williams said. “We always talked about how were both going to make it to the NBA. For us to end up on the same team is a blessing.”
They’ll provide length and athleticism and plenty of excitement, though their games both need a little refining. Carter-Williams must reduce his turnovers, and Noel could used more refined offensive moves.
But they’ll go through that process how they came up: together.
Noel, drafted by the Pelicans, initially said he was happy to play with Anthony Davis, the Kentucky one-and-done center who preceded Noel. Noel might be even more pleased to join Carter-Williams, who described their relationship as “best friends.”
Both met with the media before talking to each other – in fact, Noel spoke before Carter-Williams was even picked and learned of the trade in his press conference – but Carter-Williams showed he’s so in tune with Noel, they didn’t even need to see each other to know what the other was thinking.
“I know he’s happy as ever to play with me,” Carter-Williams said.