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Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz looks to be close to returning to action. When the 76ers went to London for a game there to promote basketball overseas, Fultz was seen shooting around before the game.
His movement looked quite smooth, but man, his jump shot sure looked ugly.
The way a player's shot looks doesn't usually determine whether or not they will return to real NBA basketball games, but don't tell that to 76ers head coach Brett Brown. He thinks Fultz's jumper is a legitimate issue at this point, per Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice.
Brett Brown was asked if Markelle Fultz needed to be 100 percent physically to return to the court. His immediate response: “I think what he needs to be is able to shoot a basketball.”
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) January 14, 2018
Those aren't words you want to hear from your coach if you're an NBA player. Because of his shoulder injury, Fultz may have altered the way his shot looks in order to deal with the pain. Or perhaps it was his change in mechanics that caused the injury. The jury is still split on this one.
But one thing is for sure: Fultz cannot shoot the ball right now. He just can't. For all that is said about the way Lonzo Ball shoots as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Ball has never received any sort of comment remotely like this from either head coach Luke Walton or anyone else inside their organization.
For Brown to come out and say this is significant. Maybe Fultz's shoulder is still bothering him. Maybe it's a confidence issue.
Whatever the reason, he has to find a way to fix it, and fast. At this point, it looks like it will be a process that will take a long time to address.
