Could the Philadelphia 76ers maybe, possibly, just come out and say Markelle Fultz won’t be playing again this season?
Apparently not.
Prior to the team’s Tuesday night win over the Charlotte Hornets, head coach Brett Brown was asked about the rookie’s status. His answer was, at best, ambiguous. From NBC Philly’s Jessica Camerato:
“It’s all internal discussions we’re going through right now and just trying to accurately assess his situation,” Brown said Tuesday before the Sixers played the Hornets. “And we’re discussing that as we speak.”
Sure. Whatever that means.
Fultz has appeared in just four games and hasn’t played since Oct. 23 while recovering from a shoulder injury. Much has been made about the apparent devolution of his jump shot, which bears resemblance to an eyesore in various videos that have surfaced over the past few months.
Though the Sixers, including Brown, are optimistic about his progress, a return at this stage of the year feels unlikely. Philly needs what Fultz offers: secondary ball-handling, a nifty shot creator and driver and perhaps some floor-spacing. But the NBA season is more than 60 games old. And Fultz is a newbie. He won’t provide all that stuff right off the bat—particularly if his jumper is still broken or whatever.
Even if the Sixers could guarantee Fultz would be the best possible version of himself, he remains a rookie. It takes time for youngsters to acclimate themselves to the NBA game. Hell, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have a tough enough time integrating Jimmy Butler once he returns from meniscus surgery. The Denver Nuggets are going through the motions with veteran Paul Millsap now. The last thing the Sixers need is to babysit Fultz’ from-scratch progression as they jockey for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.
At this point, with more than 75 percent of the schedule in the books, it makes more sense to chalk 2017-18 up to bad luck and start fresh in 2018-19.
