76ers' Nerlens Noel: Assigned to D-League for rehab

Noel (knee) was assigned Wednesday to the Delaware 87ers to continue his rehab, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Analysis:

Noel, who has yet to play this season after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his knee Oct. 6, is expected to only practice -- not play -- with the 87ers as he works his way back into game shape. To date, Noel has been limited to one-on-none and one-on-one work, but this latest news would seem to imply that he's ready to progress to more rigorous workouts. Still, Noel remains without a firm timeline to return to the 76ers, and even when he's cleared, his role with the team is uncertain. Noel has openly expressed his skepticism of Philadelphia's team construction, as he, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid all appear to overlap from a positional standpoint. For that reason, it's long been believed that the 76ers will at some point have to move either Okafor or Noel to clear the frontcourt logjam.