76ers rookie Fultz to miss next three games

Number one NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz will miss the next three games for the Philadelphia 76ers due to a shoulder problem.

Fultz has been struggling with shoulder pain since the start of the preseason and had to miss exhibition games because of it, while he has appeared in discomfort attempting to shoot free throws.

The 19-year-old guard will not play in Wednesday’s visit of the Houston Rockets and will sit out against the Dallas Mavericks (Saturday) and the Rockets (Monday). Fultz will workout until he is re-evaluated on Tuesday.

“I think that it’s appropriate to take a step back, let him take a breath and get him healthy and ready to resume play hopefully next week,” Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo said on Wednesday.

Fultz received a cortisone shot in his shoulder rather than having it drained. His agent revised his statement on Tuesday.

“He had a cortisone shot on October five, which means fluid was put into his shoulder — not taken out,” agent Raymond Brothers told ESPN. “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 is shooting 33 per cent from the field through his first four NBA games and 50 per cent from the free-throw line, but more telling than anything is that he has not attempted a single three-pointer.

The former Washington Huskies guard shot a whopping 126 three-pointers in 34 games during his lone season at the school (nearly four per game). Despite being unable to shoot the deep ball, Fultz has shown an ability to get to the basket even if he has been unable to finish as well as he would have liked.

“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,” Brothers said.