Markelle Fultz To Miss At Least Three Games

Sixers rookie Markelle Fultz will be held out tonight and the next two games because of soreness in his right shoulder, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. He will be re-evaluated by the team’s medical staff on Tuesday.

Fultz recently had fluid drained from his shoulder and plans to visit a specialist, his agent confirmed Tuesday. Shoulder and knee problems limited the overall No. 1 pick throughout the preseason, but he has managed to play 19 minutes per night during the team’s first four games.

Fultz had a cortisone shot in his shoulder October 5 to help relieve the pain and inflammation, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sources said second opinions agreed with the team’s decision to treat Fultz’ condition with physiotherapy, which is a combination of mechanical force and movement.

The shoulder pain has caused havoc with Fultz’ shot as he has connected on just 9-of-27 from the floor and 6-of-12 from the line, often missing badly.

Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo said today there is “no structural damage” in Fultz’ shoulder, tweets Michael Lee of The Vertical. Fultz received medical clearance to play in the first four games.

Colangelo also suggested that Fultz may have brought on the shoulder problems by changing his shooting mechanics in August, relays Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link). Colangelo adds that the team plans to see how Fultz responds to a week of rest while taking him out of the spotlight for a while (Twitter link).

Before today’s news broke, O’Connor wrote a column criticizing the Sixers for the way they have handled Fultz. He blasts the team for mismanaging injuries in the past, using Michael Carter-Williams, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as examples, and notes that Philadelphia’s front office hasn’t provided important information about Fultz, such as how he got hurt, what’s causing the shoulder pain and when he might recover.