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Jared Zwerling had a nice profile on Nerlens Noel, his recovery, and his relationship with Brett Brown over on Bleacher Report's NBA page. You can read the full article here, and it should only make you more excited about the upcoming season.
But buried in that profile, kind of, is some welcome news: Noel should be ready to play for Summer League:
Looking ahead, Noel is set for his first public NBA competition in July at the Vegas summer league. Then he'll make his actual debut in the fall.
"Right now, it's a new chapter," Noel said recently, reflecting on his NBA development back in his hometown of Everett, Massachusetts. "I think I'm in a great position, and I'm going to work my butt off this offseason, work on the little things that I learned over the course of the season."
Okay, contain your excitement. Summer league is almost 2 months away, and...
NERLENS NERLENS FLAT TOP BASKETBALL SIXERS YAY
Sorry about that. It's hard to contain all the energy and excitement that comes with the franchise's potential centerpiece making his debut.
He won't be debuting alongside good friend and AAU teammate Michael Carter-Williams, as MCW will likely miss summer scrimmage activities after shoulder surgery (best wishes to you, MCW - we need you healthy). He should be debuting alongside a number of rookies, second year players, and potential flyers as well.
As Jake Fischer confirmed recently, the 76ers expect to play in BOTH summer leagues, in Orlando and Las Vegas. We'll have more on the potential rosters as the summer gets nearer, but think about this: with returning rookies, incoming rookies, Noel who is something of both, and the second year guys, the Sixers potentially could have 20 or more people in summer league camps.
Last year, the Sixers played in only Orlando, with no head coach (Michael Curry coached the summer league team, with Brett Brown hired in August). This year, Brown and the staff will sort through a lot of players, and it looks like Brown's pet project can finally take the stage as well.