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Ever since Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz entered the league, his shot form has come under fire.
The dynamic guard out of the University of Washington came out of college with a seemingly stellar jump shot. He eased into 3-point shots with confidence and had no problem shooting step-back jumpers over longer opponents:
Fultz passes the eye test in this clip, and the numbers translated to the box score. He shot 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3, very solid numbers for a guard who shot a lot of contested jumpers.
However, when Fultz entered the league, everything changed almost immediately. His shooting form seemed to change, and his free-throw form became more of a push shot than a shooting stroke.
Here are some clips of Fultz shooting free throws in college vs. the NBA:
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Interesting how dramatically different Markelle Fultz's FT stroke looks here compared to @ UW (65%). Has lowered release point considerably. pic.twitter.com/6REIFX0qtR
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) September 28, 2017
It's true that even in college, Fultz's form was not perfect. You can still see a minor hitch in the release. The NBA form, however, has abandoned almost all characteristics of technical form. Fultz seems to launch the ball from just below his nose. It looks significantly more awkward and jerky than his previous form.
Again, this has translated to poor numbers. Fultz is a career 28 percent 3-point shooter in the league and is shooting a remarkably low 54 percent from the free-throw line. He often looks scared to even shoot from the outside.
There are several theories behind this decline in accuracy. Some say Fultz has the “yips” and it's mostly a mental problem that is wrecking his stroke. Some speculate there could be some long-term injury affecting him. There has even been a rumor that Fultz was in a motorcycle accident that hindered his movement.
Regardless of what the cause is, Fultz needs to improve his shooting accuracy soon or he might be shipped out of Philly. Now that the Sixers have acquired Jimmy Butler, they are in full win-now mode, and the team cannot afford to coddle Markelle Fultz much longer.
