Markelle Fultz Seeking Opinion From Shoulder Specialist, Will Miss 76ers' Games, Practices
The 76ers will be without guard Markelle Fultz until after he sees a shoulder specialist early next week, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic.
Fultz, who missed 68 games last season with a shoulder injury after being taken No. 1 in the 2017 draft, has played in all 19 of Philadelphia's contests so far this season and started in the first 15 games.
According to Aldridge, Fultz's agent, Raymond Brothers, is the one who made the call to see a specialist and hold him out of games and practices until he gets examined. Last October, Fultz had a cortisone shot to help deal with discomfort in his shoulder, but he still had to miss time because of scapular muscle imbalance in his shooting shoulder.
Despite playing in every game this season, Fultz's shooting woes have contributed to a fluctuation in his minutes from game-to-game. He played a season-low seven minutes in Philadelphia's win over the Suns Monday. He is shooting 41.9% from the field and 28.6% from three.
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However, it is at the free throw line where Fultz's issues with his shot seem to be most present. He is shooting just 56.8% from the charity stripe and has had some awkward mechanics at various times on his attempts.
The 76ers are 12-7 on the season and will likely turn to T.J. McConnell to pick up the bulk of the minutes at the backup point guard spot while Fultz is away from the team. Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com noted that coach Brett Brown has had trouble deciding between Fultz and McConnell as his backup and wouldn't commit to either after McConnell provided some useful minutes in Monday's victory.
On Tuesday, Brown spoke with reporters about Fultz seeing a specialist and said he was surprised to learn Fultz needed to see a specialist, but the team is supporting him in his quest to get better.
Philadelphia's next game is Wednesday at home against the Pelicans.
