Kathy Willens/Associated Press

An ankle sprain forced Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel out of the team's game on April 8 against the Washington Wizards. He remains out of the lineup, but could return on Wednesday.

Continue for updates.

Noel Could Return vs. Heat

Monday, April 13

Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times reported comments from head coach Brett Brown, who said there's a chance that Noel could return when Philadelphia takes on Miami on Wednesday.

On April 8, The team’s official Twitter account noted that Noel left the game with a right ankle sprain and would not return.

Entering play Wednesday, Noel was averaging 10 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game as one of the anchors of the 76ers defense, but his long-term health is far more important than his ability to play in contests down the stretch of this season.

The 76ers are long since removed from the playoff picture and have their eyes on rebuilding toward the future, and the 20-year-old Noel is likely going to be a major part of that plan. Ideally, he will team up with big man Joel Embiid down low for years to come, so there is no real need to risk further damage to his ankle by leaving him in games such as Wednesday's at this point of a lost season.

Matt Lombardo of NJ.com suggested as much:

The future is much more important than the present in Philadelphia, especially when it comes to the health of its young players. Noel is too valuable of an asset to risk if he is less than 100 percent.