Markelle Fultz turned an ankle in Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday, and the NBA world was quick to make fun of the Philadelphia 76ers and their recent rookie injury woes.
Fultz was injured on Saturday in a Summer League game against the Golden State Warriors. Fultz was helped off the floor favoring his left ankle according to reporters on the scene in Vegas.
https://twitter.com/anthonyVslater/status/883895306131095552
After the game, Fultz was diagnosed with a sprained ankle.
Sixers GM Brian Colangelo says the doctors here diagnosed Fultz with a sprained ankle. https://t.co/1V9eNvNVIQ
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 9, 2017
That injury got the ESPN graphics department going about the recent spat of injuries Sixers rookies have suffered before they ever took the floor.
Not a good pattern pic.twitter.com/YFOwHuDcT0
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 9, 2017
While the numbers are pretty stunning there, the graphic is a big disingenuous. Joel Embiid was drafted knowing he would not play that fall, and Ben Simmons was also injured when he was picked by Philadelphia. His injury was worse than initially thought and forced him to miss the season, but drafting injured players was entirely by design for Philly. In a way, those injuries are part of the reason the Sixers could draft players like Embiid in the first place.
For what it’s worth, Fultz tweeted on Sunday that he was fine.
I'm ok, thank you for all who where worried! 🙏🏼#F2G #TTP
— Markelle Fultz (@MarkelleF) July 9, 2017
The team later released an official medical report that said Fultz is only expected to miss a few weeks.
An update on Markelle Fultz: pic.twitter.com/RtkTbCwlgV
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 9, 2017
It’s far too early to worry whether Fultz will start for the Sixers this fall, but until their injury luck turns around and The Process results in the postseason, people will be skeptical of the Sixers. And they’ll take every opportunity to pile on when things go bad.
