Philadelphia 76ers No. 1 overall draft pick Markelle Fultz went down with an injury in last night's Summer League game. He was diagnosed with a regular, not high, ankle sprain according to Marc Spears of The Undefeated. Fultz is expected to be shut down for the rest of summer league play. The sprain came on the same night as Fultz officially signed his contract to be a 76er.
Huge scare for 76er fans
The idea of "trusting the process" has led to the 76ers having two number one overall picks in the drafts to acquire such young talent. However, it hasn't been a steady rebuild due to injuries.
Most remember when Joel Embiid missed the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 season due to foot injuries. Embiid followed that with only playing in 31 games this past season.
Last season's number one overall pick Ben Simmons missed all of last season with a foot injury. Team president, Bryan Colangelo, told reporters about a month ago that Embiid and Simmons would not play in summer league. Coach Brett Brown told reporters that they believe their health for the upcoming season is more important than playing in summer league.
When Fultz went down after rolling his ankle against the Golden State Warriors, you had to think that all 76er fans had a lump in their stomach. They have watched first round pick after first round pick in the recent four years go down and be lost for the year.
Fultz has possibly the most potential out of all three, so it was definitely a scare.
Luckily, Fultz tweeted out that he is okay. The team is being cautious which is why he is shut down for the rest of summer league play. Fultz, Embiid, and Simmons will likely be ready for when the season begins.
Summer league notes
Jonah Bolden was ranked as the No.
42 best summer league prospect going into competition according to Bleacher Report. Bolden has taken advantage of the opportunity off the bench, and could challenge for a final roster spot. Bolden finished last night's game with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in Philadelphia's 95-93 win.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was ranked as the No.
27 best prospect according to the list, but only managed 13 minutes of play. He only scored seven points and his plus/minus differential was -12. Luwawu-Cabarrot will need a better showing in the 76ers next game if he wants to keep playing. Otherwise, there is a chance that he will lose minutes Brandon Austin. Austin played 22 minutes despite shooting 3 of 13 from the field.
