In what has been one of the more bizarre situations in the NBA in recent memory, the No. 1 pick of the 2017 NBA Draft Markelle Fultz has appeared in four games this season, playing only 19 minutes per game in those appearances and not taking one three-point shot.
Fultz has missed the majority of his rookie year with some kind of shoulder injury, but his struggles are mostly because of his loss of confidence and perplexing decision to completely change his shot coming into the season. He essentially lost his powers like Kevin Durant in that Thunder Struck movie.
There have been videos of Fultz’s shot looking more normal in recent weeks and apparently it is up to him if he feels comfortable returning this season according to 76ers Head Coach Brett Brown:
“There’s no clandestine conspiracy theory motive,” Brown said. “You know what I know. It’s fluid.”
“I think he is quite close,” Brown said Fultz, who has declined to speak to reporters. “I think if we’d all watch the video we’d all probably agree with that.”
“It’s just something that when Markelle Fultz feels like he can go – he really feels good about himself and his health, the shoulder, everything and the medical people support that — he knows that he has a coaching staff and a team that will welcome him in when he says go,” Brown said. “He also understands the season is around the corner in terms of the end of the regular season. That’s where it’s at.”
The 76ers have 10 games remaining but are in the midst of a tight battle for playoff positioning so it may not be the best time to try and slowly reincorporate Fultz back into the fold. Doing so in the postseason seems like a bad idea for their current rotation and for his confidence as he tries to get his groove back.
