Sixers' Nerlens Noel needs consistency

TO SAY expectations were low for the 76ers coming into the season is as "duh" a statement as saying we overreact to the first sight of snow.

While coach Brett Brown has admitted numerous times that wins aren't the measuring stick of the progress of his players, what he is looking for hasn't been there often enough. For players like Michael Carter-Williams and Tony Wroten, the hope is for the turnovers to lessen, the decisions to be better and the shooting to improve. For rookie K.J. McDaniels, the hope is for him to get a better understanding of the game, learn the ins and outs of what it takes to be consistent on a daily basis, and use his outstanding athleticism in areas he's not accustomed to doing so; namely, on the defensive end when he is not blocking shots.

Much of the focus on the development of players falls to Nerlens Noel. He entered the season having played hardly any competitive basketball in 20 months, and questions arose about his work ethic and inability to maintain weight.

Last season, as he rehabbed a torn ACL suffered in college, numerous fines were levied against the 6-11, 220-pounder for tardiness, according to sources.

But that was a season in which he wasn't participating in games. While not excusable, it is less relevant than if it had continued to be a problem this season, which doesn't appear to be the case. His problem is inconsistency on the court. While there are flashes, there are many more times in which you have to almost squint to find Noel on the floor, his presence is that hard to see.

The biggest flash from him came in Friday night's win over New Orleans. Though the Pelicans were without stud big man Anthony Davis, Noel appeared to want to show the fellow Kentucky product just what he's capable of. He went for 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. He forced none of his 10 shots in making seven. He also dished out two assists and had two steals.

"I feel I put a whole game together," Noel said. "[It's about] just understanding my spots on the floor and maintaining my energy throughout the whole game and understanding where I'm supposed to be the whole game. If I'm doing the little things that are going to get me that stat line, I have to continue to keep up the energy, mainly."

Which is maddening in a way, because Noel will surround performances like Friday's with head-scratching ones.

"When he imposes himself on the game, and he did it all over the place [Friday] - offense and defense, I think his stat line doesn't reflect the impact he had on the game," Brown said. "You see 17 points and 11 rebounds and five blocked shots and two steals, his presence influenced a lot because of what the stats don't show - people not going to the rim to mean it, having to alter their shots. He was really very, very good. By far and away his best game as a 76er.

"[It's all about] energy. It really is, and I would like to be smarter and tell you something more clever, but I can't. It's energy, just black and white energy. He runs as fast as he can [one] way or he runs as fast as he can the other way, where he's in the game. He's just engaged and he's a play ahead and he rotates and goes after things like we hoped he would. [Friday] he did that more constantly than he has in the past. Each game you can grab a handful of minutes and say, 'Wow, there's Nerlens Noel.' [Friday] you can grab the very large majority of all of his minutes and he just played with that energy. It might be a tiny bit more detailed than what I just said, but I don't think much more than that. He needs a big-time motor and all of the sudden his A-plus athleticism has a chance to be seen."

Red flags were raised Friday when Brett Brown talked about Tony Wroten, who has missed the past three games with a sprained right knee. It is the same knee that Wroten had drained earlier this season.

"We are going to get him more testing," Brown said. "There is a chance that we may bring him to California and really sort of assess what is going on with his sprained knee and dig in a little more and learn more."

If the team is going to send their leading scorer out west, it would seem there is a serious issue. In any case, expect Wroten to be sidelined for quite some time. Don't be surprised if the next update on him measures his return as sometime after the All-Star break.