Getty Images Markelle Fultz during warmups.
The Philadelphia 76ers are taking on the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night for the second time in 2018. While the major story of the game is obviously Jimmy Butler’s debut with the team, another player on Sixers made some noise early on. 76ers second-year guard Markelle Fultz has looked rough lately, but suddenly he looks normal on Wednesday.
Isn’t this the strangest story in the NBA right now? We may never find out what honestly went wrong for Fultz since he has been drafted, but at least progress is being made. Just the other night, Fultz was the laughing stock of social media when he strangely ‘pump-faked’ a foul shot and missed terribly.
Fultz claimed that the ball slipped, but other video evidence of Fultz during practice shows otherwise. His ‘slipped’ ball happens quite often when shooting, and it just doesn’t look right. Naturally, everybody couldn’t stop talking about it, especially with the arrival of Jimmy Butler.
Everyone assumed that since the ever so outspoken Butler is in town, there’s no chance Fultz survives the rest of 2018 in a Sixers uniform. But don’t be so sure about that. Fultz is working hard, and suddenly his form looks a lot better in a matter of a couple of days.
What Do You Think?
That’s a vintage Markelle Fultz shot right there. That’s why this kid was taken number one overall out of Washington. It’s crazy how hype the Sixers fan base gets based off of a simple shot form for a first-round pick, but yet, here we are. Nobody questions Fultz’s hunger to want to be great. Everybody is just skeptical about his physical abilities, and his mental state.
Fultz is a hard worker and has clearly shown that he is willing to do everything that he can to better his game. As a matter of fact, hours before game time, Fultz almost missed the team bus at the visiting practice facility because he was putting in extra work. Putting in work was never the problem. Now, Fultz just needs to start showing some results. Wednesday’s matchup was a good start.