Philadelphia 76ers NBA Roster, Injury News 2018: Sixers Unsure if Markelle Fultz will Play Again this Season
Markelle Fultz is currently working hard to return to the court as he continues to deal with a shoulder injury that has seemingly affected his shooting mechanics. However, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo has recently admitted that they are still not sure if the rookie guard will play again at some point this season.
"We hope to see [Fultz] this year. If not, we will wait until he's ready to participate, and help, and put him in a position to succeed. That's going to be a determination that's made at some point in the future," Colangelo said during a media scrum on Friday, via NBA.com.
The Sixers have already received a lot of criticism for the handling of Fultz's injury. The first overall pick in the 2017 draft was diagnosed with soreness and scapular muscle imbalance in his right shoulder in late October, and he was shut down indefinitely.
Fultz's shooting form has become a source of attention throughout the season, and on Friday, J.J. Redick criticized the media for the "obsessive" coverage of the rookie guard's shooting woes.
"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," Redick said, via PhillyVoice.com. "I don't get the coming in here every day to like, watch him shoot pull-up jumpers," he added.
At the moment, the issues in Fultz's right shoulder do not seem to have improved much. Colangelo has even told reporters that the rookie's range is currently "within the paint."
Fultz has only appeared in four games this season. He is averaging 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in under 19 minutes per game while shooting 33.3 percent from the field, and 50 percent from the free-throw line. He has yet to attempt a three-point shot in his brief career.
