Markelle Fultz is 6-12 from the foul line this season. But his new awkward form has drawn criticism. And even though Fultz shot just 65 percent from the stripe in his lone collegiate season, his shooting motion was much more smooth.
https://youtu.be/cA9Uw6Fhm6Y
Fultz explained today that the change is the result of a lingering shoulder injury.
“I do what I’ve got to do to get the ball on the rim,” Fultz said, via NBC Sports. “At the end of the day, I know what I can do. My teammates know what I can do. My coaches know what I can do.”
Fultz has played 76 regular season minutes so far and still hasn’t attempted a three-pointer or a shot from outside of 15 feet. He’s been able to get to the rim but is converting on only 33 percent of his shots. He was a 41 percent three-point shooter at Washington.
UPDATE: Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers, released a statement to ESPN about his client’s right shoulder injury.
“Markelle had a shoulder injury and fluid drained out of the back of his shoulder. He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball. He decided to try and fight through the pain to help the team. He has a great attitude. We are committed to finding a solution to get Markelle back to 100 percent.”
“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 says that Fultz’s shoulder was also drained during preseason. ESPN reports that “no decision has been made for Fultz to miss games.”
h/t NBC Sports
