In light of the recent 76ers’ drama, I’ve come to grips with the fact that Markelle Fultz is a bust. Here’s why…
What Happened
On Tuesday, a report surfaced saying that Markelle Fultz would visit a shoulder specialist. This was, supposedly, to address his year-old shoulder injury that surfaced out of nowhere before last season. The saga continued for months as fans watched Fultz essentially forget how to shoot a basketball. He returned towards the end of last season, taking on a limited role. At the beginning of this season, he took his place as a starter. But all along, Fultz continued to have shooting woes. His offseason workouts with famous shooting coach Drew Hanlen (which is a source of other drama), haven’t produced any considerable improvements to Fultz’s shooting ability.
After disappointing coaches and fans, and losing many of his minutes to TJ McConnell, Fultz’s camp made the announcement about the shoulder specialist. There isn’t much more we know except that he won’t participate in team activities until his evaluation and subsequent treatment has ended. Another report also came out claiming that Fultz’s injury may include a wrist problem, though not much else is known about it.
The Problem
This type of news shouldn’t surprise fans anymore. I marvel at how an NBA player with so much “potential” can forget how to shoot a basketball. Hopefully, Fultz’s “injury” is a real “injury,” and the specialist will resolve it. More likely than not, though, Fultz’s issues are a result of a mental block. In the latter case, I can’t see Fultz returning to his college form. His career, in my opinion, would be over. Sure, he’s adept at driving and dribbling, but his inability to spread the floor won’t work for the Sixers or many other teams, for that matter. In any case, there’s no way to speak about Fultz without making assumptions.
One objective source we can point to is stats. This season, Fultz is well below average in three-point shooting (28.6%) and Free-Throw Shooting (only 56.8%). In addition, Markelle’s FG% is about .5% under the league average. For a shooting guard whose ball-handling duties are limited by the young star Ben Simmons, Markelle surely won’t succeed in Philadelphia with those poor shooting statistics.
Moving Forward
While I would be relieved to see the Sixers try to deal Fultz, it may not be their best option. Fultz is still young, and his college career was nothing short of phenomenal. But with his ridiculous issues, the Sixers wouldn’t be able to get enough value, despite him being a former first-overall draft pick. The team has invested enough resources, and fans have invested enough of their emotions, in him to justify keeping him on the team for the time being, though his potential value is dwindling, and it won’t stay for long.
Thinking back to great guards in NBA history, it’s hard to find many that were terrible shooters. In an unsurprisingly-surprising twist, it seems like both of the Sixers’ opening game starters are unable to make a three-point basket consistently. The difference with Ben Simmons, though, is that he’s a freak athlete with the gift of height. Fultz is less impressive in both stature and play-making. While I hope that he turns out as one of the 76ers greats (like we thought he would), I think the time has come to realize that Markelle Fultz is a bust.