WHAT THE FULTZ?
Markelle saga continues after he informs team he’s leaving to see shoulder specialist
CAMDEN, N.J. >> For one and a half home games, in a developing season of satisfaction, for a franchise that had waited so long for it all, the 76ers finally were at peace.
Their process was over. Their prizes for their willing unprofessionalism were in place. Their patience had yielded such an atmosphere of optimism that the true stars of basketball wanted to join the fun. They had not one marquee player, not two, but three. They were winning.
They were happy.
And then … they were caught again in the recurring nightmare that has been Markelle Fultz.
From a morning report that the second-year point-guard was about to take time off to see a shoulder specialist, to general manager Elton Brand trying to make it all sound normal, to Brett Brown being made to readjust his substitution patterns, the Sixers were back to where they started with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He could not play.
That was not a talent assessment.
That was the information Brand said he received from Fultz’s representative, Raymond Brothers, who’d formally informed the Sixers that his client would not participate in practices or games until he’d been examined by a shoulder specialist in New York Monday.
Though Fultz had played just a night earlier in a 119-114 victory over the Phoenix Suns did not matter. Nor did Fultz’s willing conversation with the press following the game reveal any hint that he’d need a break. But the struggling guard, who missed 68 games last season with a mysterious “scapular muscle imbalance” in his right and shooting shoulder, suddenly reported himself injured.
“This was brought to me by Markelle’s agent this morning,” Brand said. “We’ve been aligned. We’ve allowed Markelle to see many specialists, as our recommendation and Raymond’s recommendation. Raymond’s job is different than my job. Raymond’s job is to do what he thinks is best for his client. My job is to continue our positive trend and try to get deeper into the playoffs.
“So I think at the end of the day, we all want to support Markelle. We all want what’s best for Markelle.”
Though Fultz will be examined Monday, according to Brand, who was not immediately sure of the specialist’s name, there is no specific timetable for when he will return to the court. Brown, however, stressed that the guard will be “with us” through the situation.
Fultz was not made available to the press Tuesday in Camden. But Monday night, after not playing in the second half against the Suns while T.J. McConnell did, Fultz gave no indication of any pain, injury or professional uneasiness.
“You definitely want to go out there and compete,” he said. “I am a competitor. But at the end of the day, Coach made a decision to do that, so I have to live with it. My mindset is when I step on the floor, I go out to play. But once he goes out there, I root for him. It’s not like I am pouting on the bench or anything. I want to get out there. I am rooting for my teammates.”
The immediate solution to Fultz’s impending absence could be linked to the situation. For after playing seven first-half minutes Monday, Fultz was made to surrender his usual second-half shift to McConnell. Brown said he wanted to give his team a lift after a “flat” first half. Fultz, who has never created a public stir, supported Brown’s right to substitute as he chose, and stressed that he and McConnell have a deep relationship. Yet the decision by Fultz’s camp to imply that his struggles were tied to some shoulder malfunction was oddly timed. Recently, he’d lost a starting job. Monday, he was effectively demoted to No. 3 point guard. Connection?
“It would be unfair of me,” Brown said, “to speculate on any of that.”
Fultz has struggled in his two seasons, and at both ends of the floor. Monday, he was tormented by former Sixers guard Isaiah Canaan, drawing three first-half fouls. His shooting form, which was supposed to be improved after a summer when he took a celebrated 150,000 shots, has enabled him to make only four of 15 career threepoint attempts. He is a 53.4 percent foul shooter, and recently was responsible for a viral video after double-clutching before taking a particularly unsightly free throw.
Though McConnell will regain the No. 2 point guard spot while Fultz heals, Brown was vague about the rest of that depth chart. Landry Shamet, who sustained some sort of knee bruise in an on-court collision Monday, could play some at the point. Demetrius Jackson, on a two-way deal, likely will be activated, too.
“You have to absorb things and move,” Brown said. “And it’s just one more example. As you do this job, if the base is strong and the culture is strong and the belief and the things that we’re doing on-court and off-court are strong, then you can take things like this and move along.
“It’s just part of people’s lives in pro sports and team dynamics, and you move.”
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NOTES >> J.J. Redick, whose face was bruised in an on-court collision Monday, participated in a down-sized, low-impact practice Monday, according to Brown. So did Shamet, who was bruised in a “knee to knee” collision. … Wilson Chandler was on a 27-minute limit Monday, but played 31:17. Brown: “I’ll take every minute they give me.” … The Sixers will host the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday at 7.