Despite suffering three losses in the last four games, the Philadelphia 76ers are sustaining impressive success on the floor this season. The team has posted a 13-11 record to inject itself into the playoff discussion in the Eastern Conference and, in short, the future looks unimaginably bright with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid healthy and in the fold.
With that in mind, the Sixers have produced this level of impressive performance without the No. 1 overall pick from the most recent draft and, on Thursday evening, GM Bryan Colangelo released a bit of an update on the progress of Markelle Fultz’s recovery from a mysterious shoulder ailment. Now, the team has officially updated Fultz’s rehabilitation and the announcement comes with a timeline for re-evaluation following the absence of soreness.
Fultz is no longer experiencing soreness in his right shoulder and the scapular muscle imbalance is resolved. He will continue ongoing physical therapy and maintenance, while participating in increased strength and conditioning training and elevated on-court basketball activities. The 76ers medical team, in coordination with Dr. Ben Kibler, will gauge his readiness in approximately three weeks.
Of course, there is still a level of mystery here, as Fultz must ramp things up to the point of an on-court return within the confines of whatever “increased strength and conditioning training and elevated on-court basketball activities” actually means. Still, an official update of this magnitude does present some optimism with regard to the near-consensus top player in the 2017 draft taking the floor and his presence, if fully healthy, would certainly raise the ceiling of an already wildly intriguing Sixers team.
Markelle Fultz probably won’t be taking the floor in an NBA game three weeks from now, which means playing on Christmas Day is all but out of the question. But if all goes well, his return could arrive shortly thereafter and that would be great for all parties involved.
