Markelle Fultz To Miss Three Games With Shoulder Soreness
Sixers rookie Markelle Fultz will miss at least three games with shoulder soreness and will be reevaluated next Tuesday, the team announced on Wednesday. Fultz will be out when Philadelphia hosts Houston on Wednesday night then plays at Dallas on Saturday and at Houston on Monday.
Fultz, who was the first pick in this year's draft, hasn't looked healthy at any point during the young season. On Tuesday, Fultz's agent Raymond Brothers said the rookie has been struggling with the shoulder injury for weeks.
“Markelle had a shoulder injury and fluid drained out of the back of his shoulder,” Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “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.”
The Markelle Fultz Injury: Patience vs. Panic
Brothers later clarified that while Fultz is dealing with a shoulder injury, Brothers misrepresented the treatment the rookie has been given.
"He had a cortisone shot on Oct. 5, which means fluid was put into his shoulder -- not taken out," Brothers later told Wojnarowski. "My intention earlier was to let people know that he's been experiencing discomfort. We will continue to work with (Sixers general manager) Bryan Colangelo and the medical staff."
Fultz isn't just struggling with injuries; he's having difficulty with his shooting form. Fultz has been working on a restructured jump shot and has looked particularly uncomfortable from the free-throw line, where he is 6-12 on the season.
Through four games, Fultz is averaging 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He has not attempted a shot from outside 13 feet all season.
