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The Markelle Fultz saga continues.
The 76ers’ 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick will see a shoulder specialist on Monday in New York and will not take part in team practices or games until he has been evaluated. The Athletic was first to report the news.
Fultz will be seeing the specialist at the direction of Raymond Brothers, his agent, who was referred to as “his attorney” in the original report.
That Fultz was having shoulder issues to the point that he would require medical attention was news to the Sixers on Tuesday, when Brothers called general manager Elton Brand.
“I spoke to Raymond Brothers this morning and he stated that his recommendation was for Markelle to see a doctor in New York for a consultation,” Brand said. “He will not practice or play in a game until he does that. I said, ‘OK, when is that?’ He said it was Monday. Then we got off the phone.”
However, Fultz still participated in light shooting with the 76ers Tuesday even after his agent said he would not practice or play until he sees a shoulder specialist.
And just two weeks ago Fultz, Brown and Brand were assuring reporters that Fultz was as healthy as an NBA player could be, with just minor bumps and bruises.
“Something that kept him medically off the court? No, not that we knew of, that he couldn’t play and play at a high level,” Brand said.
Less than 24 hours before the news broke, Sixers coach Brett Brown sounded more unsure than ever about Fultz.
In Monday’s 119-114 win over the Phoenix Suns, Brown played T.J. McConnell instead of Fultz throughout the second half. When asked after the game if he would continue playing McConnell as the backup point guard, Brown was noncommittal.
“I don’t know. I don’t know,” he said.
It was a big shift from the answers Brown usually gives about Fultz. The coach has historically been more upbeat in his explanations, saying that decisions between McConnell and Fultz or about putting Fultz in the starting lineup, are determined by matchup or a desire to grow Fultz and instill confidence.
A trailing admission of uncertainty was a noticeable change in tone.
This all comes after a year of what has been one of the strangest stories in the NBA.
Drafted because of his ability to shoot and create, the 20-year-old began showing a change in his shooting form. Then, unexpectedly, he was shut down for 68 games. He returned to play the final 10 games of the 2017-18 regular season. In those games, he never shot from distance.
His time away from the court was shrouded in speculation. The team said he was dealing with a shoulder injury, but there were multiple reports that Fultz’s issues were not physical.
He spent his summer with trainer Drew Hanlen, who also works with players like Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum. It was rumored Fultz had regained his mojo — or at least was on the path to reclaiming the skills that made him the top pick.
Fultz’s reluctance from distance in the first few games of this season and some questionable free-throw attempts have left many wondering if he’ll ever return to what he was in college at Washington.
On Nov. 6 Fultz disputed a tweet sent out by Hanlen that suggested Fultz was still not healthy. Soon after that Fultz cut ties with Hanlen.