Markelle Fultz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Ntilikina, Stauskas, Nets, Hayward, Fultz

December 9th, 2017 at 10:45am CST by marksuleymanov

After a surprisingly strong start to the season, Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina has seen his production waver in recent weeks. While scoring is not the 19-year-old’s calling card yet, his strong defense has slipped as well as he’s averaging nearly one less steal over the team’s past eight games (1.4) than he did through the first 12 (2.1).

Howie Kussoy of the New York Post writes that the rookie Frenchman is currently in a position where he is not always confident of what his role is. Head coach Jeff Hornacek acknowledged that Ntilikina is sometimes caught in between trying to be aggressive with the ball as a scorer and trying to be a playmaker.

“One of the things early was he was just looking to pass. Then we’ve tried to talk to him about being a little more aggressive, and trying to really move the ball downhill on these guys, and then I think he was maybe thinking shoot it and score,” Hornacek said. “I thought last game, the practice before that, he’s done a nice job of balancing that. Sometimes he’ll attack. Sometimes he’s looking to pass. As a young person in this league you’re trying to figure that out, ‘When are my opportunities to really attack? When is it just to make a pass?’

Through 21 games, Ntilikina is averaging 5.2 PPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.3 SPG.

Check out other news around the Atlantic Division:

When the Nets acquired Jahlil Okafor from the Sixers earlier this week, Nik Stauskas — who the Nets also acquired in the deal — flew under the radar. Stauskas had fallen out Philadelphia’s rotation and played in just six games this season. As Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily writes, Stauskas provides the Nets with a low-risk, high-reward option who has had some good stretches in the NBA.
After New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio questioned the Nets’ success as a franchise after moving to Brooklyn in 2012, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the team has exceeded expectations, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.
Celtics president Danny Ainge confirmed that Gordon Hayward — who suffered a season-ending ankle injury on opening night — will soon ditch his walking boot as he continues to rehab, Chris Forsberg of ESPN writes. For his part, Ainge believes Hayward ” wants to come faster than anybody has from this kind of injury” (Via NBC Sports Boston).
Sixers president Bryan Colangelo provided an update on 19-year-old Markelle Fultz, noting that the muscle imbalance in his right shoulder has progressed well. “Surface level, I would say that he’s progressing well,” Colangelo said (via Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia). “He continues to focus on the PT and strength and conditioning aspect of the return. The good news is the soreness is completely gone and the muscle imbalance is gone.” Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes that Philadelphia will have a hard time fitting Fultz into the rotation once he returns.

Sixers Say Markelle Fultz Is Making Progress

November 19th, 2017 at 12:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers announced some positive news on rookie guard Markelle Fultz, saying he is making progress from the ailments that have sidelined him since Oct. 23, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.

Team doctors say the soreness in Fultz’s right shoulder is dissipating and his muscle balance is improving. The team plans to re-evaluate him in two to three weeks to determine when he can return to action. That will be based on how his shoulder responds to training and treatment.

The top pick in this year’s draft, Fultz began to develop shoulder problems over the summer. He changed his shooting motion as a result and the results haven’t been pretty. He is shooting 33% from the field and 50% from the line during his first four NBA games.

Sixers Notes: Covington, Free Agency, Brown, Fultz

November 15th, 2017 at 8:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

The new extension for Robert Covington leaves the Sixers with two possible free agency strategies for the future, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. The team could skip next year’s market and try to get J.J. Redick ($23MM) and Amir Johnson ($11MM) to again sign one-year deals close to their current salaries. That would give Philadelphia roughly $30MM to chase free agents in the summer of 2019. The Sixers figure to improve through the draft while they wait as they have their own pick for 2018 and an 86.9 chance to get the Lakers’ selection, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.

Another path would be to let Redick and Johnson leave next summer and enter the 2018 free agent market with about $25MM in cap space. Marks sees that as risky because the top two players available, LeBron James and Paul George, are unlikely to consider Philadelphia, and the next three, Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and DeMarcus Cousins, don’t represent positions of need.

What the Sixers need most is shooters, Marks notes, and both Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler will be free agents in 2019. He adds that the organization’s window for using cap space will end after the 2019/20 season when Ben Simmons, Dario Saric and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will become restricted free agents if they are not extended before then.

There’s more news out of Philadelphia:

Covington set a record for the largest single-year renegotiation in history by increasing his salary from $1.6MM to $16.7MM, Marks tweets. He is the eighth player in the past 20 years to have his contract renegotiated.
Sixers coach Brett Brown sees his young team as “ahead of schedule” in its quest to become a contender, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. With a 7-6 record heading into tonight’s game, Philadelphia is off to its best start in five years. “I do feel that way,” said Joel Embiid. “Me personally, I’m still not there yet and we are still learning how to play with each other. … We are definitely ahead of the curve.”
First-round pick Markelle Fultz is participating in practice drills and he tries to work his way through a shoulder problem, Pompey writes in a separate story. Fultz, who has been diagnosed with a scapular muscle imbalance along with soreness in his right shoulder, hasn’t appeared in a game since Oct. 25 and doesn’t have a target date to start playing again. “I think that’s just up for the [doctors], not me to decide,” Brown said. “What I can control is having him with the team, the design of his workouts – those types of things. In relation to a time frame, that will be determined by our medical staff.”

Sixers Notes: Fultz, Okafor, Embiid

November 11th, 2017 at 8:31am CST by marksuleymanov

Markelle Fultz‘s NBA career has endured an inauspicious start as this year’s first overall pick has endured shooting difficulties stemming from a balky shoulder. The Washington product appeared in four games with the 76ers before he was sidelined indefinitely with a muscle imbalance in his right shoulder. As the Sixers are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-5 record, so rushing Fultz back is not a smart idea, David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Murphy outlined three reasons why the Sixers are in a good position without their prized selection. The team is currently a projected playoff team, playing Fultz while he figures out his jumper is counterproductive, and Philadelphia is thriving with their current perimeter shooters, including J.J. Redick and Robert Covington.

“What it all boils down to is this: through 10 games, the Sixers look like a team that is more than capable of getting by without an additional role player,” Murphy writes. “They also look like a team that could reach a new level with Fultz playing the type of game they envisioned when drafting him. The obvious move is to focus not on getting him back on the court, but on getting his game back to where it was in college.”

Here are some other news tidbits surrounding the seventh-place Sixers:

Despite appearing in just two games this season, Jahlil Okafor has continued to put in hard work as he awaits a resolution on his future, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. After shedding 20 pounds in the offseason, the former third overall pick is now an impending free agent in limbo, but a favorite of coach Brett Brown. “He knows at any moment somebody can say, ‘You’ve been traded to this team.’ You get on a plane and play 25 minutes,” Brown said. “There’s an appropriate fear that you need to have.”
In a separate piece for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey writes that Joel Embiid — who entered the year with a minutes restriction due to his decorated injury history — is dealing with knee soreness. However, the team is cautiously optimistic about how his body will hold up.

Sixers Notes: Okafor, Holmes, McConnell, Fultz

November 4th, 2017 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers refuse to negotiate a buyout with Jahlil Okafor in part because they don’t want the Celtics to get him for free, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia has held trade talks with Boston about the third-year center, dating back to last season. The Celtics were recently awarded an $8.4MM disabled player exception and would probably pounce on Okafor if he hits the open market.

In addition, Pompey notes, the Sixers have a history of trying to get something in exchange for their players, even when their future clearly is no longer in Philadelphia. As an example, he cites Evan Turner, who was in the same situation as Okafor four years ago. The Sixers decided in October not to pick up Turner’s option, but he remained on the roster until the February deadline, when he was dealt to Indiana. Pompey suggests that if Philly can’t find an acceptable deal for Okafor, he could face a long wait until he plays again.

There’s more news out of Philadelphia:

Richaun Holmes, who made his season debut Friday night, gives the Sixers a needed boost to their interior defense, Pompey adds in a separate story. Now recovered from a fractured bone in his left wrist, Holmes limited the Pacers to six points in the paint while he was in the game. Coach Brett Brown says Amir Johnson remains the primary backup to Joel Embiid, but Pompey believes Holmes will challenge for playing time. “Richaun gave us a lot of energy and I’m glad to have him back,” Embiid said.
T.J. McConnell has managed to contribute this season, even though Ben Simmons has been given control of the offense, according to David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer. McConnell, who started 51 games at point guard last season, has been moved to a reserve role and has been effective when paired with Simmons in the backcourt.
The oddest story surrounding the Sixers this year has involved first-round pick Markelle Fultz, writes Ken Berger of Bleacher Report. After playing well during summer league, Fultz reported to training camp in September with a changed shooting motion and was recently diagnosed with scapular muscle imbalance in his right shoulder. Former Lakers strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco said scapular imbalance isn’t painful and is a common condition in the NBA. “It certainly can lead to some structural pathology and pain issues,” DiFrancesco said. “But that in itself is not going to immediately, directly, equal pain.”

Markelle Fultz Out Indefinitely With ‘Muscle Imbalance’ In Right Shoulder

October 29th, 2017 at 3:37pm CST by marksuleymanov

Sixers point guard and 2017 first overall draft pick, Markelle Fultz, is out indefinitely with soreness and scapular muscle imbalance in his right shoulder, the team announced via press release on Sunday. Fultz’s doctor’s appointment also confirmed that there is no structural impairment in his right shoulder.

Fultz is set to be reevaluated in three weeks, so it’s likely that Philadelphia’s prized draft pick misses at least one month due to the injury.

Earlier this week, Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that his client had fluid drained from his shoulder and that he “literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball.” However, Brothers changed his story later in the day, stating that Fultz instead received a cortisone shot.

“He had a cortisone shot on Oct. 5, which means fluid was put into his shoulder — not taken out,” Brothers said. “My intention earlier was to let people know that he’s been experiencing discomfort. We will continue to work with (Sixers general manager) Bryan Colangelo and the medical staff.”

Fultz, 19, has visibly struggled with his shooting, whether it be jump shots or shooting from the free throw line. In four games this season, Fultz has averaged 6.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 19 minutes off the bench. However, as Wojnarowski mentioned, Fultz has almost exclusively relied on drives to basket as he is shooting just 33% (9-for-27) from the floor and an abysmal 50% (6-for-12) from the charity stripe.

The Sixers made a considerable investment to acquire the first overall pick, trading the third overall pick (which was used to draft Jayson Tatum) and a future first-round choice to the Celtics for the right to select Fultz. In his lone season at the University of Washington, Fultz averaged 23.5 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 5.7 RPG.

Atlantic Notes: Fultz, Knicks, Hernangomez, Wright

October 26th, 2017 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Markelle Fultz‘s NBA career is off to an unusual start. After playing through shoulder pain for the first few games of the regular season, Fultz has been shut down by the Sixers for at least the next three contests after comments made by his agent to ESPN.

Given how cautions the Sixers have been in recent years with top picks, it’s fair to wonder why Fultz was on the court at all to start the year. However, as Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays, president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo insists there’s no structural damage to Fultz’s shoulder and that he was medically cleared to play.

Colangelo also suggested that Fultz’s shoulder pain may have been caused by the changes the rookie made to his shot mechanics, a hypothesis rejected by Fultz’s trainer, Keith Williams. Speaking to Sam Amick of USA Today, Williams stressed that the Sixers guard altered his jump shot as a way of coping with his shoulder pain, and that there would have been no reason to change his mechanics otherwise.

It’s an odd situation, one that Derek Bodner of The Athletic spent more than 3,500 words trying to sort out. In Bodner’s view, the statements from the Sixers and from Fultz’s camp don’t make sense unless there are nuggets of truth on both sides — perhaps the No. 1 overall pick slightly altered his shooting mechanics and his shoulder issue made things worse, forcing further changes to his form.

While we wait to see if Fultz can get healthy and recover his jump shot, let’s round up a few more Atlantic notes…

Acquiring Eric Bledsoe would be a classic Knicks move, and that’s not a good thing, argues Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Deveney, who says a trade for Bledsoe would be ill-advised, suggests the club appears satisfied to be patient with its rebuild and avoid a deal for now.
Without Carmelo Anthony on the roster to provide “automatic offense,” the Knicks are struggling this season to adjust to Jeff Hornacek‘s new, post-triangle offense, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
In a separate article for The New York Post, Berman explores what Willy Hernangomez has to do to get back into the Knicks‘ rotation. Berman also notes that Joakim Noah will certainly have a role when he returns from his suspension, further crowding the frontcourt picture.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca takes an in-depth look at Delon Wright‘s path to the NBA and has development into a reliable bench player for the Raptors. As Grange notes, Toronto’s confidence in Wright – who will be extension-eligible in the 2018 offseason – allowed the team to trade backup point guard Cory Joseph to Indiana this summer.

Markelle Fultz To Miss At Least Three Games

October 25th, 2017 at 10:42am CST by Arthur Hill

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.

Injury Notes: Fultz, Dunn, Blazers, J. Hernangomez

October 24th, 2017 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

While we at Hoops Rumors tend to avoid extensively covering day-to-day injuries and other minor ailments, we do make an effort to pass along word of slightly longer-term injuries that could have an impact on a team’s rotation or roster.

Markelle Fultz‘ shoulder issue doesn’t fit that bill yet, but it sounds like it might at some point. As Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports, agent Raymond Brothers confirmed that Fultz has had fluid drained from his right shoulder and plans to visit a specialist soon.

“He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball,” Brothers said of his client. “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.”

Considering how cautious the Sixers have been in recent years with injuries, it’s somewhat surprising that Fultz is playing at all for the team to start the season. However, according to Wojnarowski, no decision has been made yet for this year’s first overall pick to miss games. The 76ers are weighing their options, says Sarah Todd of Philly.com.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Kris Dunn, who has yet to make his debut for the Bulls, will come off the bench when he returns to the court, head coach Fred Hoiberg said today (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune). Dunn is expected to play his first game for Chicago on either Thursday or Saturday.
Entering a contract year, Noah Vonleh is targeting a November 1 return from shoulder surgery, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. That would give the Trail Blazers a fully healthy NBA roster, though two-way player C.J. Wilcox will be sidelined for a while — the team announced in a press release that Wilcox is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing a successful arthroscopy on his right knee.
Nuggets forward Juan Hernangomez has been diagnosed with mononucleosis, the team confirmed on Tuesday in a press release. There’s no specific timeline for Hernangomez’ return yet, but according to the Nuggets, he didn’t travel with the club on its current four-game road trip.
Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas, frustrated by an ankle injury, is hoping to rejoin the club on its current six-game road trip, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. In the meantime, Lucas Nogueira, who is in a contract year, will enjoy an increased role, Smith notes in a separate article.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Fultz, Pullen, Anderson

October 15th, 2017 at 12:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers expect to have Joel Embiid ready for Wednesday’s opener at Washington, tweets Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The fourth-year center, who signed a rookie-scale extension last week, sat out practice today, but coach Brett Brown told reporters he expects Embiid to practice on Monday and be ready for the first game.

Brown also said rookie point guard Markelle Fultz, the top pick in this year’s draft, will start the season as a reserve (Twitter link). Fultz was limited by knee and shoulder injuries in the preseason and didn’t see much playing time.

There’s more news out of Philadelphia:

Converting his contract to a two-way deal was fine with Jacob Pullen, who was looking for any way to get on an NBA roster, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers made the move Saturday, which will keep Pullen with the Delaware 87ers for most of the season. Players on two-way contracts are limited to 45 days in the NBA and salaries that top out at about $275K. But at age 27, Pullen found that preferable to spending another season overseas. “Knowing what I know now and knowing what my dreams are, where I want to be, you have to take this,” said Pullen, who spent last year in Russia and has also played in Italy, Israel, Spain and Croatia. “I tell people all the time, there are three ways to the top — the escalator, elevator, stairs. Some people get the elevator. Some get the escalator. Some walk up all of the flights of stairs. The NBA is an important thing to me now. It’s a dream that I want to come true. So I’ll take the stairs.”
Justin Anderson may compete with Jahlil Okafor to be the Sixers’ most improved player, Pompey writes in a separate piece. The 23-year-old swingman, who was traded to Philadelphia in February, dropped weight over the offseason and worked to improve his outside shot.
Although Ben Simmons still has some flaws him his game, he impressed opposing coaches with his potential during preseason, Pompey adds in another story. Simmons is preparing for his official rookie season after sitting out all of last year while recovering from a broken foot. “That kid, they are not talking about him enough – the way he moves with the ball, his ability to see the floor, the way he can get places on the floor,” said Grizzlies coach David Fizdale. “I think once he gets confidence in the shot, where you really have to close out on him to the three, wow, he is a big-time talent.”