Philadelphia 76ers fans can now heave a sigh of relief after top overall pick Markelle Fultz was diagnosed with just a “lateral ankle sprain”, the team announced. The 76ers will sit Fultz for the remainder of the Summer League as he recovers from the injury in one to two weeks. Fultz rolled his ankle as he attempted a chase-down block on Warriors guard Jabari Brown.
Fultz stepped on the back of Brown’s foot and landed awkwardly on his left ankle. The incident sent shockwaves to 76ers fans, who are hoping that Fultz is the key to their resurgence in the coming season.
He finished the game with eight points in 15 minutes as the 76ers defeated the Warriors, 95-93. The 76ers are expected to go places with Fultz, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons leading the way. Philadelphia also added free agents JJ Redick and Amir Johnson to provide depth and veteran presence to the locker room.
Fultz assures fans he’s OK
Fultz also assured 76ers fans that he’s alright, tweeting “I'm ok, thank you for all who where worried!” During an interview with Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Fultz showed that his ankle is fine, dribbling the ball between his legs while moving around after shootaround, around 15 hours after he sprained his ankle. Fultz also clarified his foot is not broken, adding that “I'm walking around.
I feel good”.
To utilize Fultz while he’s recovering, assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, who is coaching the 76ers Summer League squad, said the rookie will serve as one of his assistants for the remainder of their games. Fultz played two games in the Utah Summer League, averaging 20 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 blocks, 5 turnovers in 24.5 minutes of play.
Pierce praised Fultz’ performance in the Summer League, saying he showed leadership qualities and got his teammates involved on offense. Fultz said he also improved a lot on defense.
Fultz’s injury rattled 76ers’ Joel Embiid
Sixers center Joel Embiid went into panic minutes after Fultz suffered the injury, immediately tweeting “Oh no no no..
don't do this to us. Embiid knew the feeling as he missed two seasons after he was drafted 3rd overall pick by the Sixers in 2014. Last season, he suited up for 31 games, submitting 20.2 points and 7.8 boards per game. Ben Simmons, who was picked first overall by the Sixers last season, missed his rookie year after sustaining a broken foot in practice. Nerlens Noel, a sixth overall pick by Philadelphia in 2013, was also sidelined for a year after sustaining a knee injury.
