Nerlens Noel lone standout during dismal second half

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The Sixers have 13 wins with 22 games remaining over the next 43 days. Their winning percentage is 27.6. If they maintain that number over the final stretch they will win six more games and equal their win total of last season.

However, given that the team has won just once in seven tries since the trade deadline when they parted with two key talents in Michael Carter-Williams and K.J. McDaniels, three more victories seems the more likely calculation.

There are few tangible positives to take from this season. The most notable is the play of Nerlens Noel. The signing of Robert Covington from the D-League and the growth of Jerami Grant are candidates for the list, though on a competitive team would Covington and Grant get the significant minutes they do with the Sixers?

Look no further than the example of K.J. McDaniels. He averaged 25.4 minutes in a Sixers uniform, but in six games with the Rockets has appeared in two games for a total of five minutes.

Philadelphia has become the franchise of opportunity for players on the cusp of being NBA talent. However, playing time and stats produced in a Sixers uniform does not necessarily translate into a career elsewhere. The Sixers often talk about looking for "keepers," but so far in the Sam Hinkie era the organization appears to have found temporary keepers, not long term.

James Anderson started 62 games last season for Brett Brown and averaged 10.1 points. The 25-year-old played this season in the Lithuanian League.

Brandon Davies had an increased role his second season, averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.0 minutes before being traded to Brooklyn in December. The Nets kept the undrafted power forward for a month before waiving him. Davies is currently playing in France.

The Sixers tied a franchise record playing 24 guys thus far this season. Of the 11 players who are no longer with the team, only three are with another NBA squad. Carter-Williams is starting in Milwaukee. McDaniels is an onlooker in Houston, and Alexey Shved is averaging 15.8 minutes and 9.3 points since being traded to the Knicks at the deadline.

Stability and consistency are not adjectives used to describe the Hinkie plan.

What is reliable? What can fans count on? The encouraging play of Nerlens Noel.

The rookie center has surprised some with his durability. Noel has appeared in 56 of the team's 60 games played. On the current roster he leads the squad in minutes played (30.5), rebounding (7.3), steals (1.6) and blocks (1.9).

This season, he is averaging 8.8 points, but his scoring over his last 10 games is 12.0 points.

"I am trying to be more aggressive," Noel said Monday night after the Sixers lost to the Raptors. "I thought Ish [Smith] did a fantastic job moving the ball and keeping the defense honest. The whole team is playing well, and it is opening up things for me."

The most notable change in Noel's game over the last 10 games is his improved free throw shooting. In that stretch, he is shooting 76.9 percent from the foul line, compared to his 61.7 percent on the season.

In an environment where change is commonplace, staying committed to rebuilding Noel's shot over the course of an entire season brings great joy to the head coach.

"We didn't let him bring his guide hand to the ball for three months," Brown said Monday night. "Everything he did was a tight elbow. We focused on his shooting fingers. We covered all the basics, and then after Christmas we let him bring his guide hand to the ball.

"We groomed him at the foul line. He shot thousands of one-handed shots. We pieced the whole thing together. To see him now, he has his routine and he is confident. He looks money, even when he misses he looks great. It is a total makeover and I credit him."

Time will tell if the organization views Noel as a long-term keeper. In the meantime, Brown encourages Noel to be strong, confident and to go to his strengths -- namely, use his unique athleticism.

"He has to go to mean it," Brown said of Noel's aggressive approach to both ends of the court. "He is not getting graded on circus shots. He is so gifted with his right hand and left hand. He is quick off the floor. He lurks behind backboards, and now Ish [Smith] finds him.

"We are seeing him get better and better. I am so proud of his development. He is also starting to grow as a leader outside the court."

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