Markelle Fultz may be finally turning his jump shot right-side up.
Philadelphia’s 2017 No. 1 pick is reportedly making strides toward rebuilding his shot this offseason in workouts with basketball trainer Drew Hanlen. Fultz was sidelined with a shoulder injury after bizarrely struggling with his shooting mechanics last season.
Hanlen has recently worked with Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum and Mo Bamba. Celtics star Gordon Hayward, who suffered a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia just minutes into the season-opener, posted a video on Saturday that showed him working out with Hanlen.
Fultz was ridiculed on social media for his forced shot that, along with a shoulder injury, kept him sidelined most of the year, before returning just prior to the postseason. His shots looked unnatural and forced, a long way from the smooth stroke the 76ers thought they were getting out of the University of Washington star.
“What I can tell you is that he’s doing very well,” Hanlen told the Hoops Hype podcast. “I think that a lot of people think that we’re hiding him and we’re not hiding him. We’re just being very strategic in what we share because obviously, you don’t want to ever add pressure to a player when you don’t have to.”
The 76ers benched Fultz four games into the season, after he didn’t take a single shot from beyond the arc. He returned in March, averaging 7.6 points and 17.7 minutes per game in the final 10 games of the regular season with a shot that was improved but still awkward.