Sixers news: Brett Brown expresses 'tremendous optimism and confidence' in Markelle Fultz

The Philadelphia 76ers have an interesting situation with second-year guard Markelle Fultz and head coach Brett Brown has all the confidence in the world in the promising young player.

In his first season in the league with the Philadelphia 76ers, point guard Markelle Fultz experienced plenty of ups and downs throughout the year.

Despite all of these struggles, the 76ers have continued to voice confidence that Fultz can turn it around next season to start fulfilling that promise that the franchise has hopes he can reach. According to NBA reporter Jessica Camerato, head coach Brett Brown has once again aired that same level of optimism concerning the 20-year-old's future.

Brett Brown on Markelle Fultz: “I have tremendous optimism and confidence that he’s going to have a hell of a year next year. I believe that completely and just really excited to see him with us and bring him back into our program on a full-time basis.” #Sixers #NBA

— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) July 9, 2018

Much of the uncertainty has surrounded his overall health that saw him miss a significant chunk of the season due to constant shoulder issues that led to him altering his shot entirely and messed with his self-confidence. It is something that the team is hoping to help him move past this offseason so that he can quickly get back on track in his second campaign.

Fultz had played in just 14 games in the regular season where he averaged 7.1 points on 40.5 percent shooting from the field with 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest. However, there were still obvious struggles with his shot to regain the form that he previously had prior to the injury that helped him become a potent scorer from various spots on the floor.

The confidence that the 76ers have in Fultz could go a long way in helping him get back that mental edge that pushed him to be the top selection in last year's draft and a promising NBA prospect. There is still plenty of time in the offseason for him to continue to work on his shot that could lead to a breakout year for him becoming a major fixture in the game plan as a long-term core piece of the puzzle in Philadelphia alongside All-Star center Joel Embiid and rising star point guard Ben Simmons.