Philadelphia 76ers big man Nerlens Noel still wants to play with Joel Embiid. On a podcast with The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, Noel talked about being on the trade block and the frustration that comes with losing and not having a big enough role to show what he can do, but expressed no doubt when asked whether or not he and Embiid could work well together.

"I definitely feel so," Noel said. "The NBA is kind of going in a smallball way, obviously, with stretch 4s and everything, but I think there's instances in a game -- you know, just like the Celtics, maybe you can do it a little more if they're starting [Al] Horford and Amir Johnson. So I think coach [Brett] Brown is really just easing into how he wants to do it and he knows it's something that you got to have patience with. But obviously you got to do the best thing for the team.

"Obviously me and Joel can be something special when we play together defensively, you know, being able to, both of us, protect the rim, myself being more agile to guard a perimeter 4 and him stay around the rim. Then offensively, I think it just takes care of itself because I think we're both big men that have kind of like a sixth sense of the game. We're able to pass and be able to make the right decisions on the court and we're both athletic, run the floor, and I think that's a whole dimension itself."

A rare instance of the two big men on the court together. USATSI

Noel said similar things two-and-a-half years ago, telling CBS Sports then that he thought about playing with Embiid "nearly every day." Three weeks ago, Embiid called Noel his "best friend on the team" and declared that he wanted to play with him, via Liberty Ballers' Kyle Neubeck. Despite the fact they're both healthy, though, they have only shared the front court for a total of eight minutes spread over three games.

Aside from Embiid's spectacular rookie season, the center logjam has been the biggest story of the Sixers' season. Noel said before media day that it was "silly" to have him, Embiid and Okafor on the roster, and while he has vowed to work hard and play his role regardless, he hasn't exactly walked back that comment. As for his lack of playing time next to Embiid, it would be a lot more understandable if Brown hadn't tried the Okafor-Embiid combination for 80 minutes, including six straight starts in December. That duo looked like a disaster, mostly because of Okafor's defensive limitations, but there is at least potential for Noel and Embiid to complement each other.

This might seem like a small thing, but it could have bigger-picture consequences if Philadelphia is even a little bit open to the idea of Noel sticking around long-term. The front office can match any offer for him in restricted free agency in July, but it wouldn't make much sense to pay him major money if he was just going to be Embiid's backup. If he could play some effective minutes alongside Embiid and back him up at center, though, that's a different story. As Embiid said himself, as long as the Sixers are trying things out, they should give this a shot.