State of the Sixers: Expect More Minutes for Nerlens Noel

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Sixers are spending three days in Salt Lake City for Thursday's game against the Jazz. On Tuesday, the day after their loss to the Kings (see game recap), Brett Brown spoke about all things Sixers. Instead of holding an official practice, Brown met individually with each player (see below) and held workouts for low-minute players, Nerlens Noel, Hollis Thompson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. 

Here's a recap of what Brown had to say:

Expect more minutes for Noel
Noel participated in Tuesday's workouts to continue improving his conditioning and familiarity with the team. He played 3:21 against the Kings and is averaging 7.8 minutes in five games. The goal for Noel is to improve his fitness level so he can stay on the court for longer stretches at a time after missing the first 23 games of the season. 

"I thought he was great, getting in extra cardio where it's not just sitting on a treadmill and scripting and being more familiar with what we're doing," Brown said. "Days like today are especially good for Nerlens."

Whether Noel will be paired with Joel Embiid or a power forward will play out in the game. Brown said that decision is based on "gut feel" and the math involved when managing minutes of the players.

"That opportunity is going to come where we'll, I think over the next few games, I think we're going to see more of Nerlens," Brown said. 

Henderson doubtful vs. Jazz
Gerald Henderson is unlikely to play on Thursday against the Jazz. He left Monday's game because of left hip discomfort (see story). The team is still evaluating Henderson, who underwent two hip surgeries in the past. 

"It's not going to surprise me if he will be out in two days," Brown said. "It must be just as simple and smart as us just giving him some rest against Utah."

Henderson's status for Friday's game in Denver has yet to be determined. 

Paging Dario Saric
Which leads us to Dario Saric. Brown sees Henderson's absence as an opening for Saric to get more playing time. Saric scored 12 points during a four-minute stretch in the third quarter against the Kings. The rookie's role has been in flux while the Sixers experiment with pairing the bigs. 

"His importance goes up where he can be on the court more at a four or a three," Brown said. "I feel like there's an adult in Dario Saric, there's a physicality in Dario Saric that makes him, for me personally, very appealing. I really trust the effort side of things, the physical side of things when he's on the court."

Player-coach meetings
Brown sets goals for each 10-game segment of the season and meets one-on-one with every player to discuss them. The Sixers just wrapped their 30th game Monday, so it was time to establish the latest objectives as they pertain to each player as an individual and within the system.

"I knew that when I first accepted this position, the challenge of holding a locker room together, to admitting that we're going to be in a growth phase, that you were going to have to withstand some losing parts of your season, that you had to be very strong with candid relationships, with the ability to talk and teach and keep things real," Brown said. "I just think that it gives us a better chance to coach them and hold a locker room and communicate clarity on the goals." 

‘Tis the season for Secret Santa
Each holiday season, Brown organizes a Secret Santa for the Sixers to help enhance team culture. The gift swap is for the players only (no coaches) and the selection order is based on seniority. 

"At the start, you draw a name," Brown said. "After you do that, you come and you present your gift on a table. Then we go, ‘Who's been in the league the longest? … Somebody can come up and take somebody else's gift. Say Saric has only been in the league for 30 games. He chooses the best gift out of 15 gifts -- and there are some great gifts, some cool drone stuff and Apple gift certificates -- then all of a sudden, that gets snagged about the eighth pick and he's got to go back to the table. There's a progressive approach that makes it fun."