What is behind the curtain for Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz?

The Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz is shrouded in a mystery of the team’s own making. Injured/not Injured? Shooting/can’t shoot? As more time passes, the deeper the mystery becomes

You know you simply are not a key prospect for the Philadelphia 76ers if you do not miss a significant part of your rookie season. Joel Embiid missed two years. Ben Simmons missed a year. And now Markelle Fultz is missing his first season too. But in the case of Fultz, there are plenty of questions: Why?

Reports began with citing a shoulder injury to Markelle Fultz, causing unbalance in his shot. Then it grew to something more major than just a sore shoulder.  It became an injury which neutralized his incredible shooting, some of which became viral fodder on social media. And just when you thought this story was over, and Fultz’s shot is starting to look pretty good, THIS popped up on social media:

Who trusts anyone?

It’s Markelle Fultz himself…

and he is telling us to trust no one. Still, Philly fans do not trust as a rule.  The challenge of this matter is the tangled web woven over top-pick Markelle Fultz.  He entered the NBA as a 19 year-old guard with a ridiculously accurate shot and an artistic flair to the game of basketball.  He flourished in his one year of NCAA basketball on a team which did not emphasize defense or scheme. In short, he was a dancer on a basketball court to a team which offered him the entire court upon which to work.

Scheming, always scheming

Now? Everything is choreographed.  In the NBA, there is a limit as to how much free-form any one player is allowed in game. As veterans prove their ability to “make things happen”, they are given a longer leash. But NBA rookies entering the league quickly learn that their leash is short indeed.  They have a specific role, and they must master that role before they are given more playing time or responsibilities.

I followed Markelle Fultz’s college season as a member of the Washington Huskies.  As a top-pick, and heading to the Boston Celtics, I did not pile on the praise.  In fact, my articles did not paint a glossy picture of the young man’s chances on a playoff bound team.  While the teams have changed, the opportunity to thrive on a team with post-season ambitions did not. Fultz arrived to the NBA, not from a well-coached team, but from a wealth of basketball talent so superior that he was an undeniable top pick. He only played 25 of the scheduled 31 games as a Husky. And he missed games due to sore knees, an ailment which never quite was vetted via news reports.

“You really can’t trust no one!” – Markelle Fultz

NBA ready?

The challenge for the top pick of the 2017
NBA Draft is a matter of development.  And so, just how much can he flourish in his rookie season in the NBA?  Well, so far, that answer is not much. But there is a blending of bad health versus bad shot mechanics versus a very slow and deliberate onboarding to ensure great basketball prospects get great coaching before they take the basketball court.  And amidst all of the sparse details defining the true status of Markell Fultz, there is a narrative which must include a component of each theme.

These are the Philadelphia 76ers.  This organization waited for two seasons to develop All-Star center Joel Embiid. The result?  Joel Embiid, who has completed just 96 games of combined NCAA and NBA level basketball, is an All-Star.  Then there is Ben Simmons, the player who translates the entire scheme of Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown onto the basketball court. The organization waited a full season to see him play. Two for two.  With that type of track record, who can fault the Philadelphia 76ers for entertaining the “let’s let him take his time” perspective on returning to the basketball court, can you?

Poor reporting, poor details

The matter of Markelle Fultz is getting a ton of media attention, and the quality of reporting is not exactly pristine.  Take the reporting by ESPN sportswriter and basketball analyst Mark Jones, who portrayed the Markelle Fultz issue as a “psychosomatic” event in a recent broadcast.  That set off the Markelle Fultz reaction, which triggered a lot of folks to sit up and notice.

Oopsy! His bad.

Nature abhors a vacuum.

And that placed a microphone back to the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. A microphone which, for all intents and purposes, should be aimed directly at that “transparent” President Bryan Colangelo. But the news shared by Colangelo is either misleading or null, and so reporters go to the guy who shares what he knows.

Right now, there is a more complete story behind the curtain of Markelle Fultz. But either nobody knows the full story or nobody cares to share it.

Much ado about.. nothing?

The young man named Markelle Fultz is the focus of a great deal of national media attention. But that spotlight did not shine on him a year ago at the University of Washington. Of course, everyone knew he was a special type of basketball player, but nobody treated him in that soon-to-be-a-celebrity fashion.  In fact, it was that calmness and lack of showcasing which attracted Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Luck to feature the young man in a pre-draft article.

His choice of colleges was a curious one. He was so incredibly talented and in choosing the University of Washington, he elected a sort of “free form” scheme. The Huskies featured Fultz in their offense, and cut him a blank check to run the plays as he saw fit.  But that free form did not prepare Fultz for the NBA, but rather showcased him for it.

UW coaching did not help Fultz, 76ers coaching will

But all the while, his head coach Lorenzo Romar was on the hot set. Romar could attract young men to the NBA, but he did little to improve their skillsets. In fact, while Fultz wowed NCAA fans with his skills, Romar sat on a hot seat.  Ultimately, Washington fired Romar after a 9-22 season, but the history had already propelled Fultz to the NBA – both the raw talent and the lack of disciplined scheme.

Next: Sixers reportedly chasing Tyreke Evans

While there is no doubt that the Philadelphia 76ers are still the best fit for Fultz, there is that matter of transitioning to the NBA for a young rookie with a lot of cameras suddenly pointed in his direction.  For a player who has walked the streets freely, hit the gym without fanfare, this is a complete culture shock.  And the best way to build up tolerance is to work on the repetition to remove outside distractions. Ultimately, what is behind the curtain for Markelle Fultz? Simply a coaching staff who cares enough about their star 2017 NBA Draft pick to ensure he takes the court fully ready for the NBA, at all levels.