Early in the season, the Philadelphia 76ers shut down Markelle Fultz after only four appearances due to a clearly bothersome shoulder injury. Thankfully, however, the rookie guard has made progress.
Kyle Neubeck of the PhillyVoice shared several videos of Fultz working out, including one of him at the free-throw line.
And he no longer looks dreadful!
Free throws from Fultz pic.twitter.com/yek5WhCvvv
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) January 15, 2018
Early in the season, he displayed a completely reworked — and terribly ugly — free-throw form. The revamped stroke was Fultz’s way of dealing with the discomfort in his right shoulder, which shattered his confidence and limited his offensive impact.
Fultz refused to attempt open jumpers and wasn’t efficient anyway. He connected on just 9-of-27 field-goal attempts and 6-of-12 shots at the charity stripe.
The progress displayed in the video is encouraging, though it’s simply one piece of a larger picture. Fultz still has to be comfortable shooting from longer distances and not in a controlled setting.
Yes, his form still needs work. But after watching Fultz labor through the opening of his career, this offers much-needed hope for NBA fans eagerly awaiting his return.