I suppose there's never a good time for a #1 overall pick in the NBA draft to have a reoccurrence of the mental block that had him bricking jump shots in a form and fashion that'd make you think he'd never even seen nor shot one before, but - for Markelle Fultz personally - this might just be the worst time. A lot was made of bringing aboard a player/personality who is about as patient with kids and their inconveniences as an alcoholic on an airplane, but if the Sixers can realistically contend without the services of the guy that they traded up for then the cold-blooded callousness of Jimmy Butler will have absolutely nothing on the storm the Philadelphia faithful will bring. To be honest, I've been impressed with how much support an otherwise...umm...disagreeable fanbase has shown to a can't-miss prospect turned can't-make prospect as its most loyal members have been left rocking back and forth in their seats muttering "trust the process" to themselves. That being said, if the culmination of said process doesn't require the erratic efforts of the player who was originally supposed to complete it then the player in question might be well on his way to becoming a pariah. In fairness, no one really knows what exactly caused Markelle Fultz to part ways with Drew Hanlen after the latter spent the summer putting in countless hours in trying to help the former regain a form that realistically should have been second nature. However, if we're going off track record then the player who went from consensus top pick in the draft to the first casualty in a game of Knockout when left to his own devices for one offseason doesn't exactly have the benefit of the doubt on his side...
I feel for the kid, because I have no doubt he wants to get over whatever internal hump is hampering his progress as a pro, but as a scoring guard in the NBA you can only get away with shooting completely uncontested free throws as hesitantly as one might pull the trigger during Russian Roulette but for so long. Simply put, an abrupt split with a proven shooting coach whose resume speaks for itself preceding the type of yip that makes every onlooker say "yikes" is a bad look for someone who doesn't have anywhere near enough good ones to this point in his young career.
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