In just his third Summer League game for the Philadelphia 76ers, No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz has gone down with an ankle injury.
Someone within the Philadelphia 76ers organisation must have repeatedly run under a ladder.
How else can you explain the recent horrid luck the Sixers have incurred with their high-end lottery selections?
Fresh off selecting Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Sixers franchise as a whole felt ill at the sight of Fultz clutching his ankle in their most recent Summer League contest against the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas.
Having posted eight points, two rebounds and an assist in his 15 minutes on the floor, Fultz appeared to rather innocuously roll his ankle as he attempted to jump and block a shot in the third quarter. Shortly after, the Sixers released the following tweet:
Markelle Fultz has been diagnosed by doctors here with an ankle sprain and will be treated accordingly.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 9, 2017
The Sixers must be scratching their heads at this latest setback. Center Joel Embiid, the No. 3 overall selection in 2014, did not play a single game over his first two seasons due to recurring foot issues. And while he burst onto the scene last season in incredible fashion, he only managed 31 games before succumbing to a knee injury that eventually required surgery.
Not surprisingly, Embiid was one of the first to jump on Twitter following the incident:
Oh no no no.. don't do this to us
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 9, 2017
Furthermore, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Ben Simmons, missed his entire rookie campaign due to a foot injury. So naturally, anyone involved with the Sixers, from the players to the front office, will understandably be feeling rather apprehensive as the Summer League continues.
Prior to this game, Fultz had impressed in his debut performances. In his first game against the Boston Celtics, Fultz notched 17 blocks, three blocks and two rebounds in 22 minutes of game time. He followed this up by registering 23 points, five rebounds and five assists, including 4-of-8 shooting from downtown, in a loss to the Utah Jazz.
Fultz’s untimely injury overshadowed some promising performances by a couple of fellow rookies.
Furkan Korkmaz, the Sixers No. 26 overall selection, posted 15 points, four rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes on the floor, which included hitting 3-of-6 from behind three. Having stayed back in Turkey following his selection by the Sixers, Korkmaz recently agreed to terms and is using the Summer League as the ideal to platform to acclimate himself to the Sixers’ culture.
Another rookie, Jonah Bolden, the No. 36 overall pick of this year’s draft, posted 11 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Having played professionally in Serbia last season, Bolden should prove to have a head start over some of the opposition, given his experience playing against bigger bodies.
But on a positive note, the prognosis for Fultz’s injury has allayed fears of anything too serious. The following day, the Sixers released this update:
An update on Markelle Fultz: pic.twitter.com/RtkTbCwlgV
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 9, 2017
While clearly far from ideal, the Sixers front office and medical stuff will be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief.
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With the regular season still several months away, this provides Fultz and the Sixers’ coaching staff plenty of time to have his game and body in prime condition come training camp.