Nerlens Noel eyes April 4 Sixers debut

The Sixers signed their top two draft picks, including sixth overall pick Nerlens Noel.

Sixers first round pick, center Nerlens Noel, has not suited up in a game for the last-place club this season.

But the future could come sooner than expected for the rebuilding squad. The Boston native tweeted “4-4-14” Sunday, referencing the Sixers’ date with the Boston Celtics on April 4.

Noel has missed 62 games so far with an ACL tear he suffered while back at Kentucky in 2013.

The 6-foot-11 big man has slowly been increasing his activity on the practice court and has been working towards a return since doctors cleared him to play at full-speed earlier this year.

76ers could drop 17th straight Monday

The Sixers have not won a game since January and their 16-game losing stint could rival the NBA record of 26 if it continues on.

Their next foe is the New York Knicks, by no means a juggernaut but substantially better than the Sixers’ recent competition in Orlando and Milwaukee.

New York is 24-40 and fighting for a playoff spot. They had a pretty bad losing streak going as well but were able to bounce back to win three straight prior to their game at home against Philadelphia.

The Sixers will begin a stint of games against teams with winning records pretty soon, with Indiana, Memphis and Chicago, among others slated to face the 15-47 76ers during the next two weeks.

Philly must take advantage of these last opportunities against losing teams if they hope to avoid joining the record books for all the wrong reasons. The opening tip is at 7:30 p.m.