There is a disconnect between the Philadelphia 76ers and Markelle Fultz. The team was apparently blindsided earlier this week when Fultz’s agent said he won’t play or practice until after an appointment with a doctor to examine his shoulder in the coming days. Then, on Wednesday, a report dropped that Fultz’s wrist is also causing him issues, and beyond that, he may want to seek out a fresh start via a trade.
That was shot down by his agent, who said no trade request has been submitted or anything like that, but all of this is a reminder that there is no situation more bizarre than what is going down in Philadelphia. While it may not be as outwardly vicious as what’s happening in Washington, or as delicate as what’s happening with the Warriors, the Sixers and the first-overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft are just not on the same page.
Not even Fultz’s teammates seem to have a great read on his situation, as evidenced by Joel Embiid’s comments after Philly beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
Joel Embiid's full quote when he was asked about Markelle Fultz pic.twitter.com/E9cAE9Ayhh
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) November 22, 2018
There’s a lot going on here, from Embiid ostensibly accusing the Bryan Colangelo regime of not having Fultz’s back to Embiid straight up admitting he’s not sure what’s happening. He gives Fultz a nice endorsement at the end of this, saying he’s been doing a great job when he’s gotten on the floor, but on the whole, this illustrates how people in Philadelphia are in the dark on what’s going on with their young guard.
