The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Why Markelle Fultz should be benched until he’s healthy

By Michael Bronson

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 21: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on October 21, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 21: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on October 21, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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When the Philadelphia 76ers traded with the Boston Celtics to draft Markelle Fultz, fans across the NBA were excited to see him paired with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. That excitement has since died down.

"“Markelle had a shoulder injury and fluid drained out of the back of his shoulder. He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball. He decided to try and fight through the pain to help the team. He has a great attitude. We are committed to finding a solution to get Markelle back to 100 percent.”"

The above quote is from Markelle Fultz’s agent Raymond Brothers explaining how bad Fultz’s shoulder injury really is,although he has since changed his story. While it’s easy to assume his agent is just providing an excuse for why the top pick in the draft is coming off the bench and is only averaging 6 points, 1.8 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game while playing 19 minutes per game, Fultz has played so much worse than the player I saw play at the University of Washington that it’s hard to believe this is the same player.

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers /

Philadelphia 76ers

He is currently ranked 15th in points per game and 9th in assists per game among rookies and the Philadelphia 76ers as a team are 29.7 points worse per 100 possession when Fultz plays.

"“Fultz averaged 23.2 points per game and a lot of his scoring came from great shooting. His overall field goal percentage was 48 percent and he made 41 percent of his 3-point shots. Fultz excels at making pull-up jumpers or taking mid-range shots and making them despite having a hand in his face. This is both a blessing and a curse, because he’s a player that can be counted on to take and possible make a game winning shot, but he can fall in love with low percentage jump shots instead of driving to the basket for a layup or draw a foul.”"

I wrote the above quote before Fultz was drafted by the Sixers in an article detailing his potential. Comparing the Fultz described in that quote to the Fultz that has played four games with the Sixers, is a worst-case scenario of “be careful what you wish for.” While I wished that Fultz would take less jump shots and drive to the hoop more often when I saw him play in college. I now wish he would drive to the hoop less and take more jumps shots after seeing him in the NBA.

It’s not just that Fultz is only making 50 percent of his free throws with is his new and unimproved free throw shooting form, it’s that he hasn’t attempted a single 3-pointer through four games. In college, 29 percent of all his shot came from behind the 3-point line and he made 41 percent of them. Of the 27 shots Fultz has taken over four games, 11 of them were taken five feet or less from the basket, nine were between 5-9 feet, and seven were between 10-14 feet. Fultz is shooting 54.5 percent from less than 5 feet,, 11.1 percent from 5-9 feet, and 28.6 from 10-14 feet.

Fultz made 53.5 percent of his shots in college and is making 33 percent of his shots in the NBA and is only averaging 1.8 points more per game while playing 6.2 more minutes per game than the rookie season of possibly the worst bust in NBA draft history Anthony Bennett.

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While I still believe the Sixers made the correct decision in selecting Fultz with the top pick, he should be receiving the same treat the Sixers gave Embiid and Simmons and the Sixers should not play him until his shoulder is 100 percent healthy. All playing him now has done is hurt the team and make people that haven’t seen him play in college think he is a bust.