Brown on Noel: 'I got to help him'

76ers coach Brett Brown continues to preach patience when it comes to Nerlens Noel.

This time, Brown said it after the rookie post player struggled in Monday's 100-75 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center

The 6-foot-11, 217-pounder was held to four points on 2-for-8 shooting to go with six rebounds and a blocked shot. He struggled with his touch and had a hard time catching the ball.

He is shooting 7-for-22 in the three games back after being sidelined with a left ankle sprain. One bright is that he didn't have any turnovers against Spurs after totaling nine in the previous two contests.

"I got to help him," Brown said. "I have to find ways to help him and build his confidence and put him where he belongs. I think, at times, he feels the weight of the world, where he has to go deliver, and that's just unfair and not true."

Noel sat out all of last season after having left knee surgery during his lone season at Kentucky. There have been lofty expectations for the 20-year-old in Philadelphia.

"He hadn't played for so long," Brown said. "His path and his progress is going to be very, sort of, deliberate. I think it's going to be kind of slow … Nerlens is going to take some time, and I think our city has to understand that. He's young and hasn't played, and I'm going help him get to that next level."

Right now, Noel doesn't have the bulk to bang on the block against traditional bigs.

So the athletic big has to rely on energy and quickness. Yet his timing has been off. He's also thinking too much instead of reacting.

A visibly disappointed Noel didn't make any excuses in the locker room following Monday setback.

"I'm capable of doing a lot more than what I'm doing," he said. "It's all up to me to continue to keep working so I can be where I want to be."

He did, however, admit to thinking too much

"Yeah, it may be that," Noel said. "But there's a lot of thought process that goes in regularly, and at the end of the day. I've just got to get better."

A preseason favorite for rookie of the year, Noel is averaging 6.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. He leads all rookies in rebounds, blocks and steals.

Follow  and contract Inquirer 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers