Williams: What the heck happened to Sixers' Fultz?
I remember the banter. I remember the constant debates from talking heads who went back and forth as to who would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and which team would make said pick.
The universal answer was largely former Washington Huskies point guard, Markelle Fultz.
Fultz, a 6-foot-5 highly skilled point guard with scoring prowess akin to James Harden had the physical tools that made NBA GM's drool. He possessed a 6-foot-10 wingspan and could score at all levels, and do so efficiently and effectively.
While I liked Fultz's game, I personally favored the pass-first, basketball savant in Lonzo Ball, who graciously denied all workout requests from teams not named the Los Angeles Lakers -- who held the No. 2 pick -- making the No. 1 pick still debatable.
Who would I have taken? Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics seemingly duped the entire NBA world as they finessed the No. 3 pick in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, stating they had their man all along in Duke Blue Devil, Jayson Tatum. But, my money was on De'Aaron Fox.
That's right, I would have taken the speed demon from Kentucky over Fultz and not looked back. Knowing the guy I coveted would likely stage a John Elway or Eli Manning situation had I taken him, made my next best selection easier.
However, the 76ers did not do this, and what we see today is shaping up to being one of the saddest, and most odd stories you will ever hear.
So, what happened? What happened to the player whose ceiling was Harden, and floor was D'Angelo Russell?
How did a player who shot 47.6 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3 (126 attempts), all of a sudden forget -- or appear terrified to shoot beyond five feet?
I can't recall a situation as bizarre as this, and the explanations coming from the 76ers were equally bizarre and disturbing, which caused many to question exactly what was going on inside their organization as it pertained to Fultz.
It started when Fultz complained of shoulder soreness early in the 2017 season, which caused him to alter his shooting form so bad where it looked worst than the last player off the bench of a JV basketball team.
He was then put on ice by the 76ers while he dealt with his shoulder and to make matters worse, videos of Fultz working out at the 76ers practice facility began to surface showcasing his awkward shooting motion, along with his visible frustration from it.
Fast forward to this year and it's more of the same. The other parts of his game still appear to be there. Smooth, crafty, fluid. His jumper? Frightening.
One need to look no further than this free throw attempt earlier this season. The god-awful form is enough to cause every basketball purist to roll over 10 times in their graves from what they would have witnessed.
A report by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Tuesday said Fultz does intend to play again this season.
The major issue for me is where are the answers? Why after an entire year, are we just now hearing about a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome?
For those unaware (like me) of what this is, thoracic outlet syndrome isa group of disorders that occur when blood vessels or nerves in the space between your collarbone and your first rib (thoracic outlet) are compressed.
Apparently, it is severe enough that the 76ers chose to sit Fultz, and seek trade partners before revealing this publicly.
Call it speculation or whatever, but this is unfair.
Even platinum-selling rap artist, J. Cole had to weigh in on this situation in a recently released song by 21 Savage, Cole spit a compelling verse weighing in on Fultz:
"I pray for Markelle cause they f--ed up his shot
Just want you to know that you got it my ni--a
Though I never met you, I know that you special and that the Lord blessed you
Don’t doubt it my ni--a"
For now, the Fultz draft pick will be scrutinized and looked at as a mistake. The entire truth will come out one day as to whether or not this is the case. It is however, a question all of us will wonder until it does.
