We have finally received a new update regarding the health of second-year point Markelle Fultz, but it is not good news.
The Sixers announced on Tuesday that Fultz will be out indefinitely with thoracic outlet syndrome, which involves compression or irritation in the thoracic outlet. Team doctors said the area that is irritated is between his lower neck and upper chest.
The 20-year-old point guard will start physical therapy immediately as he rehabs his right shoulder. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Fultz has seen more than 10 specialists in the past year and visited several specialists over the past week.
Raymond Brothers, who is Fultz’s agent, advised the former first overall pick to seek consultation about his shoulder.
In a statement to ESPN, Brothers explained that the nerves between Fultz’s shoulder and back are affecting him and resulting in “abnormal functional movement and range of motion,” which has “severely [limited] his ability to shoot a basketball.”
A couple of weeks ago, it was reported by The Athletic that Fultz would visit a shoulder specialist at the direction of Brothers and would not participate in practices or games until he was evaluated.
Before he took an indefinite leave of absence from the team, Fultz looked somewhat comfortable taking midrange jump shots but did not have a smooth follow through. Instead, it looked like he was pushing the ball towards the rim sometimes.
In 19 games this season, Fultz is averaging 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 22.5 minutes per game. He is also shooting 41.9 percent from the field on 8.2 attempts per game.
Last season, the former University of Washington standout missed a majority of his rookie campaign with scapular muscular imbalance. However, he did return to play in the team’s last 10 games of the regular season, which included his first career triple-double against the Milwaukee Bucks in the season finale.
