It's safe to say Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz's rookie season was one of the strangest campaigns we have seen in recent memory.
The highly touted guard out of Washington was ridiculed throughout his rookie campaign because of a hitch in his shot that made it difficult to watch. Looking back, Fultz believes no 19-year-old went through the adversity he went through, according to Jerry Bembry of The Undefeated.
“The adversity I went through last year,” Fultz said on the first day of training camp, “I don’t think any 19-year-old went through what I went through.”
Fultz reportedly wanted to modify his jumper prior to the start of the 2017-18 season and entered training camp with a different form than he had in college. However, it wasn't for the better as he came in with a hitch in his jumper, and he effectively refused to shoot from outside.
Fultz went on to miss 68 games in his rookie year due to a shoulder injury, which he clarified was the reason why his shot looked so bad. He said the injury hindered him from going through the right motions for his shot. He did come back for the final 10 games of the regular season and showed some flashes.
But the damage had already been done and NBA critics were already skeptical about whether he could still recover from his abysmal rookie campaign. Some even went as far as claiming Fultz a bust, especially with the emergence of fellow rookies Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell as potential franchise players. There was a lot of speculation in the offseason as to whether Fultz could still live up to the expectations of a No. 1 overall pick.
Fultz went back into the lab and worked hard in the summer to fix his shot. While it is still a work in progress, the shot looks much smoother now. What matters most is Fultz looks much more confident with his shot, as he has been taking jumpers left and right without hesitation during the preseason.
With the 2018-19 season opening soon, Fultz has a chance to show he was indeed worth the first overall pick the Sixers invested in him. All he can do now is use the adversity he faced in his rookie year as motivation to prove the doubters wrong.
Follow Us
Subscribe
