Despite struggling in the Philadelphia 76ers’ season opener, Markelle Fultz’s teammates are confident that the rookie will get right.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ season opening loss to the Boston Celtics was ugly all around. Joel Embiid struggled with turnovers, shooters were missing open shots, and Markelle Fultz looked lost in his first NBA start.
After spending 21 minutes on the floor in the first half, Fultz only played three minutes in the third quarter before being benched in the fourth. His role — and quite possibly his future — is still uncertain.
Those who are quick to label Fultz a lost cause are vastly premature, though. He’s a 20-year-old with 15 NBA games under his belt. After losing all function in his jump shot and going through the mental tribulations that came with it, an immediate fix was never likely.
Fultz needs time to get comfortable with the speed and physicality of NBA basketball. He also need to get comfortable with where his new mechanics fit into the Sixers’ offense. Brett Brown needs to make a conscious effort to integrate Fultz into different sets.
As a former No. 1 pick, there’s no denying Fultz’s talent. Both last season and in preseason, his passing chops were on display. His offensive instincts are better than most players his age, it’s just a matter of being more assertive and finding his swagger.
There is obvious reason for concern. There’s a chance Fultz never gets right and, as a result , continues to drag down the Sixers’ offense with poor spacing and indecisiveness. If that happens, Brown might have to move to Plan B.
With that said, there’s also a (better) chance Fultz improves as the season goes on, his career progresses, and his jumper becomes more natural. His teammates — and trainer Drew Hanlen — all seem confident.
In a piece for Yahoo! Sports, Ben Rohrbach talked with several Sixers players about Fultz, his rookie struggles, and their thoughts on the youngster moving forward.
"“‘Faithful to the grind’ is his slogan, and he does that. Every day. He’s always positive, always in the gym working, coming in early, staying late. That’s what I told him: ‘They can’t take away how hard you work.’ And it shows.” — Amir Johnson“He seems more confident. I think his demeanor, his spirit has changed. I think he wasn’t sure — and I don’t think any of us were sure — what was happening last year. I don’t think he even knew what was happening last year. I think it’s balancing the NBA as a 19-year-old, the pressure of being the No. 1 draft pick is tough on anyone, and then you add an injury on top of that, and it’s tough. I think he’s got his body in a great place and he’s ready to go this season.” — J.J. Redick"
Johnson and Redick also noted the difficulties of dealing with social media, especially at Fultz’s age. Neither had to deal with Twitter and Instagram as rookies, whereas Fultz was (and still is) constantly reminded of his shortcomings.
It’s important to preach patience with Fultz. This is essentially an extension of his rookie season, and most young point guards need time to grow and develop at the NBA level. It’s presumably even more challenging when you’re dealing with reworked shooting mechanics.
Drew Hanlen told Yahoo! Sports the following after the Sixers’ opening night loss.
"“He’s going to figure it out. He’s come a long way. Worked harder than anyone I’ve ever had before to get back. It’ll come. Just takes time.We live in a day where everyone wants instant results and truth is it takes time. He sat out for a year. You saw how much Kyrie [Irving] struggled. Does that mean Kyrie isn’t good? No. It means it’s going to take a little for him to catch his rhythm. Same thing with Markelle. If you take a step back and look at things, he went from not getting into the game to starting. That’s a big improvement. He passed up some shots that he will take, but it was his first game back”"
Given the circumstances, having Fultz’s first career start in Boston wasn’t an ideal situation either. The Celtics have an elite defense with the tools to effectively shut Fultz out of the game plan. The crowd, and the Jayson Tatum connection, didn’t play in his favor.
Against non-juggernauts — like, say, the Chicago Bulls — Fultz should find more room to get his shots and make an impact. His defensive upside is another factor keeping him on the court, and it deserves more recognition. With a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he provides value on that end alone.