Subscribe
Follow Us
The never-ending saga of Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz and his recovery continues. The latest was centered around one of the issues that could be affecting his rehabilitation process.
ESPN’s Mark Jones and Doris Burke served as the broadcasters for Sunday’s matchup between the Sixers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The two partners referenced Fultz and the No. 1 pick’s recovery from a shoulder injury that has limited him to the initial four games of this season.
Via Matt Haughton of NBC Sports Philadelphia:
Article Continues Below“Brett Brown was telling us prior to the game tonight, prior to tip, that he speaks with Fultz, he works with Fultz and there seems to be some psychosomatic issues involved with getting over the hump and getting back on the court,” Jones said. “Brown says he continues to improve and he would expect that he would play at some point this year.”
“I’m worried about the young man,” Burke added. “Nineteen years old. He clearly seems to be shaken where that jump shot is concerned. You just hope his confidence gets back where it needs to be.”
The situation with Fultz has been murky at best, with the Sixers' medical staff first diagnosing it as a sore shoulder, then claiming it's muscular imbalance, and now even possibly psychosomatic issues (a physical injury aggravated by levels of stress).
The Sixers haven't been the most forthcoming when it comes to injury, and with such a horrible recent track record of rookie health (Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Ben Simmons, Jahlil Okafor), it wouldn't be surprising if it was more than the coach and front office let on. Brett Brown wasn't happy with the comment from Jones and Burke.
“It was completely misquoted. There was no reference to any of that,” Brown said before Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “I've spoken with ESPN this morning. They're very apologetic.”
“Markelle Fultz's injury has been well-documented. I have talked about this hundreds and hundreds of times. The story hasn't wavered once. His shot has been affected by the injury. We're trying to reclaim it. There are times when he rises up to shoot that he does feel a bite and it affects him. It's really that simple.”
Fultz has now missed 43 games this season with his injury.
