By Keith Pompey
The Philadelphia Inquirer
LAS VEGAS — Markelle Fultz is fine.
The Philadelphia 76ers point guard was on the court Sunday, dribbling the ball between his legs while spinning around and rocking from side to side after a shootaround. This came less than 15 hours after the first overall pick in this year’s NBA draft sprained his left ankle, giving the Sixers and the majority of their fan base a huge scare.
However, the injury wasn’t as bad as first reported. His sprain was a lateral one and will require one to two weeks to heal, the team said. Fultz will miss the remainder of the team’s NBA Summer League games.
“My foot is not (broken) or anything like that,” Fultz said. “I’m walking around. I feel good.”
Fultz was hurt in the third quarter of Saturday night’s 95-93 victory over the Golden State Warriors. He stepped on the back of Jabari Brown’s foot while chasing the Warriors guard in an attempt to block his shot near the basket.
Fultz, who was getting ready to jump as he turned the ankle, landed on the injured foot and fell to the floor, clutching his ankle.
“I was so focused on trying to get that block,” he said. “When it first happened, I didn’t think or hear anything. When I came down, I didn’t look at it. I was just hurting so bad.”
Fultz wanted to get up but was unable to put weight on his ankle. He was helped to the locker room by Charles Jackson and Mouhammadou Jaiteh and had X-rays, which were negative. The rookie left the arena while the game was still going on to receive treatment at the team’s hotel.
He said he wasn’t surprised his ankle was feeling better Sunday because he takes care of his body. Fultz added that the Sixers have a great training staff.
“So they did everything they needed to do to make me feel better,” he said. “When I first went down, I was a little worried. But at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason.”
Fultz applied ice to the ankle and walked around so it did not get stiff. The 19-year-old looked good while dribbling on the court after the shootaround. He did not walk with a limp or have noticeable swelling in his ankle.
The summer league concludes July 17 with the championship game, so there isn’t enough time for the former University of Washington standout to return at 100 percent. Nor would it make sense to chance re-injuring the ankle.
Making sure Fultz is healthy for the regular season is more important than seeing him play another game or two in the summer league. The Sixers are relieved that it’s just a sprain and not anything more serious.
Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, who is coaching the summer-league team, said Fultz will serve as one of his assistants for the remainder of the games. Fultz’s first assistant-coaching role was Sunday night against the San Antonio Spurs.
Fultz’s summer campaign concludes after a combined three appearances in the Utah Jazz Summer League and NBA Summer League. He averaged 20 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, 5.0 turnovers, and 24.5 minutes in his two games in Utah. Fultz shot 46.1 percent on 3-pointers.
Fultz had eight points against the Warriors Saturday night. He also had two rebounds, one assist and two turnovers before his exit.
Overall, Fultz and the Sixers were pleased with his summer-league performances. He showed leadership qualities on the court and got his teammates involved offensively. Fultz would have had many more assists if not for his teammates’ missed shots.
“Defensively, I think I improved a lot,” he said. “I learned a lot about how to guard the screen and get into my man.”
Fultz also learned that everyone on the NBA level is going to be faster, quicker, and talented.
“I definitely learned a lot,” he said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
