Markelle Fultz’ nagging shoulder injury is still causing him significant problems.
Markelle Fultz’ rookie season isn’t going as planned. The top overall draft pick is averaging just 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, and he’s shooting a dismal 33 percent from the field. Oh, and his free throw form, despite workshopping it over the summer, is still awful.
Fultz shoots like he's on a pogo stick
pic.twitter.com/jULmtcf67S— Benson (@bluke123) October 18, 2017
But I’m not trying to pile-on the poor guy here, as something is obviously up with the rookie, whether it’s his confidence or the nagging shoulder injury—or some combination of both.
Today, we got some clarity, and it’s not good news. Apparently Fultz’ injury is so bad that he can barely lift his arms.
Per ESPN:
“Markelle had a shoulder injury and fluid drained out of the back of his shoulder,” agent Raymond Brothers told ESPN. “He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball. He decided to try and fight through the pain to help the team. He has a great attitude. We are committed to finding a solution to get Markelle back to 100 percent.
“From a basketball perspective, it’s been encouraging to see that Markelle can get any shot he wants during the games, but he has been unable to shoot the ball,” Brothers added.
No decision had been made on whether Fultz will miss games, but it sounds like the best course of action is to shut him down until he’s fully healed. Not only does playing him risk aggravating his shoulder further, but in the games he has played in he’s been nothing but a shell of himself, turning down open jumpers and threes—that has to take a significant toll on his confidence as a player.
