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Brown: Noel likely won't be ready for Sixers' season opener

Mike Stobe / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Another day, another injury to a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Head coach Brett Brown told reporters Saturday that big man Nerlens Noel, who's dealing with a strained right groin, will sit yet another preseason game when the Sixers host the Detroit Pistons.

Brown also believes the 22-year-old won't be healthy enough to compete when Philadelphia opens the 2016-17 campaign on Oct. 26 against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Noel suited up for 67 games last season, averaging 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 29.3 minutes. A bruised right knee caused him to miss a six-game stretch at the end of the year, and the team went winless during that time.

His name was dangled numerous times over the summer in potential trades, with new general manager Bryan Colangelo saying he wasn't comfortable having all three of Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid on his roster. If presented with an opportunity to move one of his frontcourt players to address a need elsewhere, he'd likely pull the trigger.

Related - Noel: 76ers need to figure out 'silly' center logjam

If he's not ready for the opener, Noel would join No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons on the sidelines, after he was ruled out indefinitely following surgery to repair an acute Jones fracture in his right foot.

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