Markelle Fultz's Agent Changes Story on Treatment for Shoulder Injury

Philadelphia 76ers rookie point guard Markelle Fultz is dealing with a shoulder injury, and his agent has provided different stories on how it has been treated.

On Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com passed along comments from Raymond Brothers, the agent for the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, who said it isn't clear whether Fultz will need to miss games in order to fully recover from the shoulder ailment.

"Markelle had a shoulder injury and fluid drained out of the back of his shoulder," Brothers said. "He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball. He decided to try and fight through the pain to help the team. He has a great attitude. We are committed to finding a solution to get Markelle back to 100 percent."

Later on Tuesday, Brothers changed his answer on the specifics of treatment, via Wojnarowski.

"He had a cortisone shot on Oct. 5, which means fluid was put into his shoulder—not taken out," Brothers said. "My intention earlier was to let people know that he's been experiencing discomfort. We will continue to work with (Sixers general manager) Bryan Colangelo and the medical staff."

Wojnarowski added, "Cortisone shots are used to relieve pain and inflammation. Sixers officials confirmed to ESPN a treatment took place several weeks ago and Fultz's inflammation and symptoms have improved."

This is another setback for Fultz, who suffered a knee injury during the preseason after suffering one during his lone collegiate season with the Washington Huskies.

Philadelphia selected Fultz with the No. 1 pick to add another talented youngster to their ever-growing list of playmakers with potential. While the 2017-18 season may be a bit too early to start thinking about a significant playoff run, the combination of Fultz, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric is an exciting one for Philadelphia fans.

Fultz has averaged 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists across four games so far in his rookie campaign.

The 76ers will likely turn toward the combination of T.J. McConnell and Jerryd Bayless at point guard until Fultz is ready to return.

While Fultz is important this season, his long-term availability is far more significant for a franchise that has its eye on the future. Expect the 76ers to exercise a level of caution before they bring their rookie guard back into the rotation.