Markelle Fultz is back on the field. The Philadelphia 76s rookie made a good comeback and continues to raise the hopes of the fans. But the big question marks around his shoulder and his throw remain.
At the end of the first quarter it was time again. Markelle Fultz, first pick of the 2017 draft, rose from his chair on the Sixers bench. The fans at Wells Fargo Center mumbled and when the horn sounded for substitution, it got really loud. The audience rose from their seats and celebrated the rookie, who had disappeared from the scene for so long and mysteriously.
15 minutes the Philly fans saw their hope, but nobody was much smarter afterwards, even though the Sixers revealed little about Fultz around the game. Questions about the five month time-out, the constitution and the release of the guard during the litter were again only answered vaguely.
The public was left in the dark, which had actually happened almost throughout the entire season. Fultz did not want to give any information either. Questions about his shoulder he punished with silence, probably an announcement from the organization. This could now be blamed on the franchise’s lack of competence or on the lack of comparison in the past. Because: The opaque situation around the Guard because of his changed litter release and the aching shoulder is probably unique.
Much more important was that he was back on the court, only that should count for Philly fans, already euphorized by the strong season. The top pick now has nine games to show what he can do to recommend himself to a playoff team for a place in the rotation. The 15 minutes against Denver were promising at least once.
“He’s a very different player than anyone else we have in the squad,” said coach Brett Brown. Fultz showed his pre-draft spin move, hit a real circus throw in the second half and even sunk two pull-up jumpers. Also defensively he could give the Sixers game a further dimension with his length.
In the end there were 10 points (5/13 FG), 4 rebounds, 8 assists and a plus minus of +16 in the box score. But not everything succeeded by far. In his first posession he produced a ball loss, his first bounce was an airball and he was blocked four times. Nevertheless, the +16 shows that the presence of the returnee did not cause a break in the Sixers game.
Fultz didn’t look like a foreign body, his playing had that certain ease and he had control over the game when he was on the court: “He showed some things why he was the first pick of the drag,” said coach Brown, “The game is much faster, of course, but Denver is a good team. The evening couldn’t have gone better for him.”
Whether Fultz really is the player Philly had in mind in the summer can’t be deduced from this one game, that’s also known in the city of fraternal love. Sixers President Bryan Colangelo also tried to explain: “In Washington he hardly took any degrees from the catch-and-shoot”.
“He created a lot for himself in college or he penetrated and played the kick-pass to the shooters. I don’t know if he’s a catch-and-shoot player at all,” but this would be an important characteristic for Fultz if he wants to stand on the court with Ben Simmons. The Australian didn’t sink a single threesome and only took such throws with the shotclock going off.
The Sixers really wanted Fultz in the summer and traded him for the Guard with the Boston Celtics because they thought that Fultz might be the perfect fit next to Simmons. Of course, the top pick could also give the microwave from the bank, but the hopes and expectations were far too high. It will therefore depend on the quality of his distance shot whether Fultz can be successful in Philly in the short and medium term.
For the moment, however, the first appearance in a long time gives hope again. With a balance of 43-30 and fourth place in the East, the Sixers can still achieve a lot. The unexpected return of Fultz gives Philadelphia another facet and a possible joker for a successful postseason. Maybe the one written off for this season can still help.