Getty Markelle Fultz makes a pass near the basket.
Markelle Fultz has not played NBA basketball since the fall when he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The first pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Sixers, the 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Fultz was selected before the Los Angeles Lakers’ Lonzo Ball and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell.
Fultz struggled to find any sense of normalcy while in the City of Brotherly Love.
On October 23, after Fultz went 1-for-4 from the field in 16 minutes against the Detroit Pistons, Raymond Brothers, Fultz’s agent, told ESPN that his client “had a shoulder injury and fluid drained out of the back of his shoulder. He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball. He decided to try and fight through the pain to help the team. He has a great attitude. We are committed to finding a solution to get Markelle back to 100 percent.”
Per The Ringer’s Jason Concepcion: Last October, Fultz told a group of reporters, that he was experiencing shoulder soreness that had caused him to change his shot.
Less than a week later, at another scrimmage, a Philly.com writer noticed that Fultz was passing up open looks at an Andre Robersonesque clip. It was quite concerning for a player who had risen to the top of the draft board on the strength of being an NBA-ready offensive machine. Sixers coach Brett Brown was asked if he was comfortable with the rookie’s shifting shooting mechanics.
In December, Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers announced the former 76ers guard was been diagnosed with Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS).
Per SB Nation’s Kristian Winfield:
Brothers described it as a physical injury that “affects nerves between the neck and shoulder resulting in abnormal functional movement and range of motion, thus severely limiting Markelle’s ability to shoot a basketball. TOS is treatable by physical therapy.”
According to the MayoClinic, common causes of TOS include “physical trauma from a car accident and repetitive injuries from job- or sports-related activities.
Philly traded Fultz at the trade deadline in February, shipping him to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Jonathon Simmons, a top-20 protected first-round pick in 2020 and a second-round pick in 2019.
Fultz has a fresh start, BUT he has not played a minute of hoops for the Orlando Magic this season and missed the NBA Playoffs, also
Orlando Magic Daily’s Devin Ulrich notes that there are still big expectations for what he can do, the team and its fans must stay patient:
Orlando now has taken in Markelle Fultz to add to their already young core of Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba. There is a ton of excitement about his return. Fultz jerseys already dot the Amway Center.
Many hope Fultz’s potential he showed us in his lone year with the Washington Huskies can eventually adapt to the NBA, especially Magic fans. But just like 76ers fans had to do, Magic fans will need to manage their expectations.
Even though he averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in college to earn that top overall pick — shooting 41.3 percent on 3-pointers — he has played sparingly since then.
He took longer than expected to recover from a knee injury that cut short that one year in college before the wrist and shoulder issues began. Fultz has played in only 33 career NBA games in two seasons. And while he has had some solid moments in averaging 7.7 points per game and 3.4 assists per game in 20.6 minutes per game, his shot and confidence seem to have deteriorated.
Changing scenery is as much about getting a fresh start for a young player as it is about giving him the space to get healthy again.
Jeff Weltman, the Orlando Magic’s President of Basketball Operation said the guard continues to make progress working back from his injured right shoulder, but the timetable for his return remains uncertain.
Per The Orlando Sentinel:
While Fultz hasn’t returned to basketball activities, Weltman has been impressed with what he’s learned about the 20-year-old.
“You guys know I was excited on trade deadline day, and I can only say that I’m much more excited, having gotten to know Markelle and who he is as a person, who he is as a worker, [and] who he is as a teammate,” Weltman said. “Another guy, obviously this is a different situation, but another guy whose timetable will not be rushed.”
As noted by Heavy’s Jonathan Adams:
Orlando Magic head coach, Steve Clifford noted in March that it would be “very difficult” for Fultz to return this season.
“He’s still rehabbing his shoulder and he’s not even able to really do much on the floor yet,” Clifford said, per ESPN. “It’s a pretty significant shoulder injury. I would say he’s starting to do a little bit, but it would be very difficult for him to get back this year.”
Fultz has been seen on the bench at games. Fultz sounded optimistic that he can resurrect his career with the Magic.
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