Markelle Fultz Says He's OK After Ankle Injury Suffered in NBA Summer League

Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz tweeted he is "OK" on Sunday, a day after he sprained his left ankle in Las Vegas Summer League play:

The 76ers announced Fultz was diagnosed with a "lateral ankle sprain" and that he will miss the remainder of the summer league while he goes through a one- to two-week recovery period.

The No. 1 overall pick scored eight points in 15 minutes in Saturday's 95-93 win over the Golden State Warriors. He was helped off the floor after he rolled his ankle early in the third quarter.

"He's a very talented young man that can create his own shot at any time and any opportunity," Sixers summer-league coach Lloyd Pierce said, per ESPN.com. "He is very confident with the basketball in his hands. I thought today was his best defensive effort. He was talking on the defensive end, had pressure on the basketball, was trying to stay within our defensive concepts. It is a challenge that he has put on himself, and today was one of his best efforts by far."

The updated diagnosis and Fultz's tweet allowed Sixers fans to breathe a sigh of relief as their team takes aim at a playoff push in 2017-18. After trading up to draft Fultz to pair with young stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, Philadelphia added free agents JJ Redick and Amir Johnson to help add depth and bring some veteran leadership to the locker room.

Fultz was seen as something of a final puzzle piece to the franchise's young core after it played years without a promising ball-handler. Embiid and Simmons have their own injury histories, so if Fultz had gone down for a protracted period, it would have been a frustrating blow.

As it stands, he'll have more than enough time to get fully healthy and ready for training camp in the fall.