J.J. Redick Chastises Media for Filming Markelle Fultz’s Shot: ‘Y’all Are Sick’
Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo provided an update on Markelle Fultz’s progress Friday and it wasn’t a good one.
Fultz’s range is limited to the paint right now and he may not play at all this season, Colangelo said. It’s a worrisome update on a player the Sixers were counting on to be a contributor this season and particularly in the future.
After Colangelo spoke, members of the media gathered by the practice courts to watch Fultz shoot. J.J. Redick wasn’t happy with the reporters filming Fultz’s workout and let them hear it. In this video from PhillyVoice’s Kyle Neubeck you can hear Redick say “The kid’s f---ing 19, man. Holy s---. Y’all are sick.”
Redick later expanded on his displeasure with the gawking.
“It is annoying, the guy's 19, he’s working his ass off. I understand fans want to see his progress, but this is maybe going to be a longer process than we all hoped for,” he told reporters. “I don't get the coming in here every day to like, watch him shoot pull-up jumpers. It’s a little obsessive ... we all want to see him back on the court, doing what he loves to do.”
Of course, this is exactly what Redick is in Philadelphia to do. He’s the veteran presence on an incredibly young team is supposed to standing for his teammates like this. But the reporters are absolutely right to be focused on Fultz’s continued shooting struggles. He’s the No. 1 pick in the draft who went from one of the best shooters in the NCAA to being completely incapable of taking a jump shot, thanks an unusual shoulder problem. Hopefully Fultz is back to shooting threes soon, but until then there’s going to be plenty of attention paid to his progress.
