Nerlens Noel Benched by 76ers: Latest Comments and Reaction

Nerlens Noel's vocal outburst about his playing time has led the Philadelphia 76ers to bench their young power forward for the time being. 

Per Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, 76ers head coach Brett Brown announced prior to Sunday's game against the Brooklyn Nets that Noel would be out of the team's rotation "for the foreseeable future."

As for what Brown's plans are, Cooney noted the 76ers will use Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor as their starters, with Noel being used only in the event of foul trouble. 

Noel has appeared in just two games for the 76ers so far this season. The team announced on Oct. 21 he would need minor surgery on his left knee, the same one he tore the ACL in while playing for Kentucky in 2013. 

The 22-year-old made his season debut on Dec. 11 against the Detroit Pistons, playing 10 minutes in a 97-79 win. He sat out the Sixers' next game against the Toronto Raptors before returning Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. 

After playing just eight minutes versus the Lakers, Noel publicly expressed his displeasure with the lack of playing time he was receiving. 

"I think I'm too good to be playing eight minutes," he told reporters, per ESPN.com. "That's crazy. Need to figure this s--t out."

Noel did meet with Brown after that outburst, telling reporters Saturday his emotions got the better of him.

"You might get emotional sometimes, and I'm human and I want to play basketball at the highest level," he said, per ESPN.com. "Now moving forward, it's taking it day by day and keep improving."

Brown also addressed the situation and his meeting with Noel: "The fact that it came out as soon as it did caught me off guard. We've discussed it, and I'll be surprised if everybody's not seeing how we all need to handle this better going forward."

Noel is coming off his best season in the NBA last year when he averaged 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds in 67 games. He was the sixth overall pick in 2013 but is losing the battle for playing time with big men like Embiid and Okafor also on the roster.