Q&A: Nerlens Noel

Courtesy of Darnell Mayberry 

Q: Were you nervous?

A: I was nervous at the beginning, but I seem to play a little better when I’m a little anxious. But I thought it went well. I’ll definitely continue working on my stamina and conditioning to sustain that for most of the game so I can be more active on rebounds and continuing to operate for my team.

Did getting a dunk on the first possession kind of do something for you?

Oh yeah, definitely. That definitely helped the jitters. It kind of just set the tone for the game. I was confident. I stepped to the free-throw line and knocked all of them down. I was just really feeling it. So I just kept it going.

Are you able to play without thinking about the knee at all at this stage? Are there any mental blocks?

Nah, no mental blocks. It’s been 18 months out. I haven’t been thinking about the knee for a long time now, many months. I’m definitely continuing to get it stronger, as strong as possible, and just continue working.