Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz had fluid drained from his injured right shoulder just before the start of the regular season, and the injury is still seriously affecting his shooting, Fultz's agent told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
"He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball," Raymond Brothers said (though some have disputed how literally he meant "literally"). "He decided to try and fight through the pain to help the team."
Brothers said Fultz is planning to visit a specialist soon.
"From a basketball perspective, it's been encouraging to see that Markelle can get any shot he wants during the games, but he has been unable to shoot the ball," the agent added.
There's been no decision as yet about whether the Sixers will hold Fultz out of action in the immediate future, sources told Wojnarowski.
The injury helps explain Fultz's woeful shooting to start his NBA career, as well as the baffling free-throw motion he's adopted since being drafted first overall in June. Sixers coach Brett Brown previously said he thought the altered mechanics were the result of Fultz's shoulder issues.
The 19-year-old point guard is shooting just 33 percent from the field and 50 percent from the line, without a single 3-point attempt through four games.
His injury also continues a trend for 76ers first-round draft picks, nearly all of whom have either missed their entire rookie campaigns (Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons) or suffered season-ending injuries therein (Jahlil Okafor, Embiid again) since The Process took wing back in 2013.
If Fultz and the Sixers want their latest top draftee to avoid that same fate, some time off may be in order sooner than later.
"He has a great attitude," Brothers said. "We are committed to finding a solution to get Markelle back to 100 percent."
