Markelle Fultz, the first pick of the 2017 NBA draft, missed 68 games in his inaugural campaign in Philadelphia. In the first few games of the season prior to his time away from the court, his formerly smooth and efficient jumpshot looked broken.
For some reason the number one overall pick of the draft decided to change his shot mechanics the summer before his NBA debut. His agent, Raymond Brothers, gave more details on the situation, telling ESPN, “(Markelle) literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball.” He attributed this to an injury causing fluid to collect in Markelle’s shoulder, but later he went back on his statement and said that Markelle actually received fluid into his shoulder in the form of a cortisone shot. It was a sketchy situation to say the least.
It seemed unlikely that Fultz would return this season, and it looked like the 76ers might have had an impending bust on their hands.
However, on March 23, Fultz returned and has played quite well. His jumpshot has looked fine and he has once again shown the offensive ability that made him such a high value prospect. Additionally, Fultz has been efficient running the offense, sporting an assist to turnover ratio greater than 4:1, a mark that is considered extremely efficient for a point guard.
The story now is Fultz trying to work his way into the starting lineup for the playoffs. The Sixers have limited his minutes significantly, but he has been reliable when they’ve used him. It is to be expected that he is slowly reincorporated back into the offense so that he can get into game shape, so his limited minutes should not be viewed negatively.
The “Trust the Process” 76ers have looked good without Fultz, yet with him they’ve just as good if not better. Joel Embiid is playing at a high level, scoring around 23 points per game and raking in rebounds, and Ben Simmons has looked great in his point forward role and should be a lock to win Rookie of the Year. With good shooters surrounding these guys, in particular Robert Covington and J.J. Redick, they are a complete team. For this reason, Fultz should be able to play the game without too much pressure to score and steadily continue to improve.
The Sixers are on a serious run here heading to the postseason and are fighting for the 3-seed in the East. They are peaking at the right time, and with the return of Fultz, they may be looking at a deeper playoff run than their fans expected earlier in the season. At this point, it wouldn't be unreasonable to predict Philadelphia making the Eastern Conference Finals.
So for everyone who's been asking, “Where the hell is Markelle Fultz?”. He's back. Relax
Trust. The. Process.
