First the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t see a problem with having Markelle Fultz play through his shoulder injury. Then they shut him down for three games to evaluate a situation that had deteriorated under their noses. Now they’ve announced the rookie point guard is out indefinitely because of said shoulder injury.
Here’s the team’s announcement, courtesy of the Bucks County Courier Times:
#Sixers Fultz injury update. Out indefinitely & will be re-evaluated in 3 weeks: pic.twitter.com/01dqaT85tj
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) October 29, 2017
The Sixers, no doubt, are smart to put Fultz on the sidelines. There’s no sense risking the long-term health of a 19-year-old cornerstone to win a few extra games in October and November.
Who knows, while “scapular muscle imbalance” sounds absolutely terrible, maybe Fultz will be fine and ready to rock in three weeks. If not, well, at least he’s no longer playing through an injury that you’re clearly not supposed to be playing through.
With the caveat no one around here is a doctor, the Sixers’ decision to play him at all always felt weird. Not only would you think they’d be extra cautious after living through the Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons debacles, but they have plenty of other playmakers—specifically Simmons—to carry the ball-handling duties in Fultz’s absence.
Yes, obviously, they want him on the floor. But they don’t need him on the court. Not right now. They’ll be competitive without him. And more importantly: They’re not being billed a contender. Allowing him time to rest and rehabilitate the injury isn’t setting back their timeline one bit.
