Markelle Fultz is now shooting jumpers left-handed, for, um, reasons

Dan Devine
·Senior NBA writer

It’s been a week since the Philadelphia 76ers announced they were shutting down rookie point guard Markelle Fultz indefinitely due to the right shoulder soreness and “scapular muscle imbalance” that had rendered the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft virtually unable (or perhaps unwilling) to shoot jumpers or free throws. Exactly what caused the issue and why Fultz and the Sixers (mis)handled it the way they did very much remain open questions, but while the situation sure doesn’t seem any more normal than it did a week ago, it had, at least, quieted down some.

And then came Monday, when reporters at the Sixers’ practice laid eyes on Fultz back on the floor to get some work in … and doing it with a southpaw stance.

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Hmm! That seems odd! Which, to be fair, is par for the course in the case of a knockdown college shooter changing his motion between Summer League and training camp for reasons that remain unclear, with the team and the player’s camp publicly disagreeing over how, when and why this all happened. (It’s also especially remarkable given the fact that Fultz wouldn’t even be the first No. 1 overall pick on the Sixers’ roster who’d decided to shoot with his off hand.)

Now, before we get too far afield, it’s worth pumping the brakes and realizing that Fultz putting shots up lefty during a workout probably has more to do with being restricted from doing so right-handed than it does with him looking to change his shooting form again:

… although, considering what the results looked like with his righty form before the Sixers shut him down, maybe that wouldn’t be the worst thing in recorded history!

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Sixers head coach Brett Brown told reporters that there’s “nothing to read into” with Fultz shooting left-handed jumpers. But given the Sixers’ recent history when it comes to telling everyone to remain calm about injuries only for them to become much bigger deals than initially suggested, and given the odd back-and-forth between the Sixers and Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers, that preceded Fultz’s shutdown …

… you’d forgive Philly fans for feeling ill at ease about the unorthodox set of circumstances that now has their hoped-for superstar lead guard looking even more unorthodox when he rises and fires.

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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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