Markelle Fultz is now shooting jumpers left-handed, for, um, reasons
It’s been a week since the Philadelphia 76ers announced they were shutting down rookie point guard Markelle Fultz indefinitely due to the right shoulder soreness and “scapular muscle imbalance” that had rendered the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft virtually unable (or perhaps unwilling) to shoot jumpers or free throws. Exactly what caused the issue and why Fultz and the Sixers (mis)handled it the way they did very much remain open questions, but while the situation sure doesn’t seem any more normal than it did a week ago, it had, at least, quieted down some.
And then came Monday, when reporters at the Sixers’ practice laid eyes on Fultz back on the floor to get some work in … and doing it with a southpaw stance.
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Markelle Fultz is running 4-on-0 drills with coaches on the far court. Have seen him take about 5 jumpers so far…all left handed.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) November 6, 2017
This is from legit three-point range with Fultz’s left hand pic.twitter.com/lhCXTKqd7I
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) November 6, 2017
To be clear: if he had done this once, i wouldn’t have bothered sharing. Every shot outside the paint he has put up has been left handed. https://t.co/LkO2KOBGjr
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) November 6, 2017
Hmm! That seems odd! Which, to be fair, is par for the course in the case of a knockdown college shooter changing his motion between Summer League and training camp for reasons that remain unclear, with the team and the player’s camp publicly disagreeing over how, when and why this all happened. (It’s also especially remarkable given the fact that Fultz wouldn’t even be the first No. 1 overall pick on the Sixers’ roster who’d decided to shoot with his off hand.)
Now, before we get too far afield, it’s worth pumping the brakes and realizing that Fultz putting shots up lefty during a workout probably has more to do with being restricted from doing so right-handed than it does with him looking to change his shooting form again:
Would guess it's just something to get him doing drills until shoulder is ready. Was interesting, nonetheless. https://t.co/9z4aI9QRl9
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) November 6, 2017
My takeaway of the Fultz situation is he's not close to taking jumpers, not that he'll be taking lefty jumpers when he is ready.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) November 6, 2017
… although, considering what the results looked like with his righty form before the Sixers shut him down, maybe that wouldn’t be the worst thing in recorded history!
I mean, it might be the first real jumper I've seen him take since July, so…progress? https://t.co/Xu8VO9rkq1
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) November 6, 2017
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Sixers head coach Brett Brown told reporters that there’s “nothing to read into” with Fultz shooting left-handed jumpers. But given the Sixers’ recent history when it comes to telling everyone to remain calm about injuries only for them to become much bigger deals than initially suggested, and given the odd back-and-forth between the Sixers and Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers, that preceded Fultz’s shutdown …
Can’t wait for Markelle Fultz’s agent to say in an interview that Fultz is actually shooting with his left foot
— Noam Schiller (@noamschiller) November 6, 2017
… you’d forgive Philly fans for feeling ill at ease about the unorthodox set of circumstances that now has their hoped-for superstar lead guard looking even more unorthodox when he rises and fires.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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