Here we are approaching the middle of February and Markelle Fultz still has yet to return to action following a swift exit at the beginning of the season. His shoulder is still not right, and Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo said “there’s a chance” Fultz will not play this season.
Ever since he was forced out of the lineup due to his shoulder injury (and even before that), Fultz’s every shot has been dissected by the media, which is out every day to see how the kid is performing.
Well, on Friday morning, veteran guard JJ Redick finally had enough. As media once again gathered to watch Fultz shoot, Redick yelled, “”The kid’s f**king 19,” per Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice.
Afterward, Redick elaborated.
“It is annoying, the guy’s 19, he’s working his ass off. I understand fans want to see his progress, but this is maybe going to be a longer process than we all hoped for,” said Redick. “I don’t get the coming in here every day to like, watch him shoot pull-up jumpers. It’s a little obsessive … we all want to see him back on the court, doing what he loves to do.”
Redick is doing what he’s supposed to do, standing up for his young teammate. That’s awesome. At the same time, the media is “a little obsessive” about all this because Fultz is hardly the first top rookie draft pick in Philly to miss a ton of action due to injuries.
He’s the No. 1 overall pick from 2017 and has managed to play in exactly four games this season before being shut down. So, it’s only natural that the media in a crazy sports city like Philly is going to be all over this story until it has some kind of conclusion.