Philadelphia 76ers: The exciting return of Markelle Fultz

After being sidelined for the past 68 games, the Philadelphia 76ers were ecstatic to welcome Markelle Fultz back into the fold.

As recently as last week, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown stated that the return of Markelle Fultz to the playing arena was entirely in the hands of the reigning No. 1 overall pick.

So it came with a mixture of excitement and relief when the Sixers announced prior to their game against the Denver Nuggets Monday night that Fultz would be gracing the floor for the first time since Oct. 23. In one of the more puzzling episodes in recent seasons, Fultz’s long-term absence with scapula instability in his shooting shoulder was equally as frustrating for both the player and the franchise.

However, with promising footage in recent weeks of Fultz working out prior to games, both on the road and at home, Sixers’ staff and fans alike never gave up hope that the University of Washington product would return to the court at some stage this season.

Which brings us to the Sixers’ latest contest, and their seventh win in a row, whereby Fultz made his long-awaited return to the court. In the lead-up to the game, coach Brown made an emotional statement regarding Fultz’s long road back to the floor:

"“Markelle Fultz will play tonight. It was his decision. It was fluid, and I get goosebumps telling you all that. I am so proud of him….You know, the people around him have done great things, and I give that kid credit, he will be with us tonight.”"

Fast forward to game time, and Fultz was greeted with a standing ovation as he entered with 2:54 remaining in the opening period. He scored shortly thereafter to settle the nerves after such a highly anticipated return.

In all, Fultz’s return to the floor was nothing short of a resounding success. Playing 14 minutes, Fultz posted 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting, eight assists and four rebounds while being a +16 during this time on the floor. There is some significance to this stat line:

Fultz’s prowess as a multi-dimensional guard was on full display, featuring not only his ability to get off his own shot both in traffic and from the mid-range, but also setting up his teammates on his way to eight assists despite limited game action. Following the display, coach Brown expressed his feelings on Fultz’s impressive return:

"“The way that he was welcomed by our city, spectacular. Really spectacular, the way he was embraced by his teammates just reinforces what I think of our group, and how close they really are….Then he came out and played and showed signs of why he was the first player chosen. Obviously the game is fast, and it’s elite at this stage….but the night could not have worked pout better.“Just the fact that he looked to shoot it, made some, it looked fluid, I just loved his confidence at times hunting a shot.”"

As Brown alluded to, Fultz’s teammates were tremendous in their support of their reacquainted teammate, as could be seen on social media following the game:

https://twitter.com/JJRedick/status/978445730938589184

For the final word on a terrific night, the man himself explained what he had been through to get him to this point, and also his thoughts on the night overall:

"“I just had a lot of teammates and front office and coaching staff really supporting me when I was going through these timers, and I just worked everyday, that’s all it was….These fans are great, and I love ’em….I was just trying to do the little things to help my team win, I wasn’t really looking at any stats, just play defense and on the offensive end just run the offense to the cue and hopefully get the W.”"

Despite no attempts from long range, Fultz’s overall package following four months on the sidelines is a credit to all involved in the painstaking process of getting the 19-year-old back on the floor.

Next: NBA Rookie of the Year ladder - Week 24

With nine regular season games remaining and the Sixers currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, this presents a terrific window for Fultz to both acclimate to the speed of the league and prepare for the challenges that await in the postseason.