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Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz has had a rough first season in the NBA.
After suffering a strange injury to his shoulder and being out for the bulk of the season, Fultz has been the butt of many jokes and the subject of much speculation over how the 76ers handled his injury.
Lately, Fultz's injury has shows signs of improvement. But what has not improved yet is his shooting stroke, which somehow has come a shell of itself because of the injury to his shoulder.
Naturally, many wonder why his shot changed the way it did, included the media that cover the 76ers and the NBA. Reporters want to see how he is, whether or not he's getting better, and are asking questions about him regularly to anyone within the organization that is willing to answer them.
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But JJ Redick, who joined the 76ers over the summer on a one-year contract, has just about had it with the media attention Fultz has received solely because of his shot, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“He’s working his [butt] off,” Redick said after Friday’s shootaround. “I understand that fans want to see his progress, but this is maybe going to a longer process than we all hoped for. He may be back on the court soon. I don’t know. That’s not my thing. But I don’t get the coming in here every day to like watch him shoot pull-up jumpers. That’s a little obsessive.”
Redick is clearly batting for his teammate here, but his opinion is somewhat flawed. Reporters have a right to know how Fultz is progressing with jump shot, seeing has how that is a major part of his game that is now gone.
In addition, the Los Angeles media covered Lonzo Ball, his shooting struggles and everything else that is going on with him in the same way. Philadelphia is a big media market that cares a lot about its sports, and Redick knows that.
