Philadelphia 76ers' Nerlens Noel excited to hit the court

Back in February of 2013, Philadelphia 76ers’ big man Nerlens Noel, then a member of the Kentucky Wildcats, tore his ACL in a loss to the Florida Gators.

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Noel, who could have been the top-overall pick, was selected with the sixth-overall pick and acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade that sent Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans. Noel then sat out the enitre season as he rehabbed.

Noel is excited to finally hit the court.

“The whole offseason I’ve really focused on getting stronger, putting on weight and gaining muscle, and that’s what I did,” Noel told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “Every aspect and skill point, I’ve been working on, too. My shot, I’ve progressed a lot, and I’m working on my technique. Every part of my game I’ve improved on.”

Noel also learned a lot by watching.

“I’ve learned so much [over the past year] through basketball and life itself, even after the injury,” Noel said. “You really look at things in a whole different light and that’s definitely how it’s been for me. I feel like I’ve aged mentally in how I look at every aspect of life, just not taking anything for granted. Basketball, I’ve learned a lot as well, just not being able to play, being on the bench watching guys like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Tyson Chandler, Joakim Noah — guys like that, just really picking their games apart, seeing all the little things they do and trying to implement it into my game.”

In Noel’s lone year at Kentucky, he averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.4 blocks, 2.1 steals and 1.6 assists per game.

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Philadelphia 76ers’ Nerlens Noel excited to hit the court

By Andrew Melnick | Jun 1, 2014