at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2015 in New York City.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

If the first game that Philadelphia 76ers big men Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel were all available to play is any indication, Noel appears to be the odd man out. And he’s not happy about it.

Noel played just eight minutes — zero in the second half — in Philadelphia’s 100-89 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, and showed his frustration about the lack of playing time after the game:

Now, Friday night was only Noel’s second game of the season after having offseason knee surgery and then suffering a sprained ankle. It’s possible the Sixers were just easing him back into action, but his comments would lead you to believe he expects to be a full-go at this point.

And it’s been widely assumed that Noel would be third in the pecking order behind Embiid and Okafor. Embiid — finally healthy after being drafted third overall in 2014 — has been tremendous in his “rookie” season, averaging 17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Okafor was taken third overall by the Sixers last season, and went on to average 17.5 points as a rookie.

Naturally, Noel has been the subject of trade rumors lately, and that speculation will surely pick up even more now. But it’s not a good look for Noel to be complaining like this about playing time just two games into his season, and that’s after The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his podcast recently that the “research teams have done on [Noel] is not good” (via Larry Brown Sports):

“The research teams have done on him is not good,” Wojnarowski said. “They don’t get good reports back on their intel of how he has carried himself there, of his habits. It’s not a great return. There are teams willing to do a deal for him and bring him in, but they don’t want to give up much.”

Even if Noel wants out of Philadelphia, the Sixers would be selling low on the No. 6 pick of the 2013 draft, and may hope he builds some value back up before making a trade. The 6’11” Kentucky product is still just 22, and has averaged a solid 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds so far in his NBA career. Teams are looking everywhere for talented, young players at his size, so you’d think he’d eventually draw some more interest on the trade market.

Of course, it will be hard for Noel to build that value back up if he’s only playing eight minutes a night.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.