Sixers C Nerlens Noel's ACL recovery coming along well
The Philadelphia 76ers have been a punching bag of sorts throughout the offseason, but fans of the franchise got some positive news on Tuesday.
Nerlens Noel, the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA Draft this past June and the man who was acquired from New Orleans for Jrue Holiday, is recovering well from the torn ACL he suffered in February.
Noel hurt the knee in a game for Kentucky, and the injury likely caused the 7-footer to slip in the draft. To his credit, Noel has remained positive and is working hard to get back on the court.
Since undergoing surgery on March 12, and up until just last week, the 19-year-old Noel slept, ate and rehabbed in Birmingham, Ala., punching work-week-like hours to rebuild his knee under the supervision of renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews and esteemed physical therapist Kevin Wilk. He’s finally seeing evidence of all that hard work.
“I feel great. I’m really starting to feel like my old self, being able to have my explosiveness. But I’m definitely being careful with it,” Noel said. ”From Day 1, every time I was in rehab, the last few reps, I would just think how bad I want to get on the court because of how much I want to prove to myself that I can get back and be the player I want to be.”
There's next to no chance Noel is ready to participate in training camp in a couple of weeks, but the original timeline -- a Christmas return -- remains realistic.
His return could make for a nice mid-season boost for the Sixers, though they are not expected to be competitive this season.