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Brett Brown: Fultz 'isn't whole right now,' working to improve confidence

Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Slowly but surely, Markelle Fultz is regaining his mojo.

The Philadelphia 76ers guard still "isn't whole right now," according to his coach, but he's inching closer to his return to action, which won't happen until he builds up his shooting confidence.

"We're trying to continue to move him forward - in spirit and in his game," Brett Brown told ESPN's Jeff Goodman. "We're trying to get him more comfortable with his rise-up jump shot and free throw. The 3-point shot isn't necessarily on my mind. We need to let him feel good about himself again, and I think some of it is with the fluidness of his shot."

Related: Brown has 'never experienced anything' like Fultz's shooting woes

The No. 1 pick hasn't played since Oct. 23 due to a shoulder injury, which healed more than a month ago. The eighth-place Sixers are keeping him out until he "is able to shoot a basketball."

Fultz, 19, averaged six points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from the charity stripe over four games, during which he didn't attempt a single 3-pointer.

There's still no timeline for his return and Brown can't offer an estimate since the hurdle is now mental rather than physical.

"It's all connected," Brown said. "You can't go from one place and end up here without the physical side of it being real. ... He's getting better."

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