Markelle Fultz Flashes Potential in NBA Return, but Shooting Form Still Unproven

After missing 68 games with a shoulder injury, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz made an unexpected return Monday night. And despite the lengthy layoff, he reminded viewers what fueled so much hype before the 2017 NBA draft. 

Considering he'd seemingly forgot how to shoot a jump shot following summer league, just seeing him play without restrictions was encouraging. In 14 minutes, Fultz gave the Sixers a legitimate boost. He finished with 10 points, eight assists and four rebounds in a 123-104 win over the Denver Nuggets at the Wells Fargo Center. 

He also attempted 13 shots, an encouraging stat that points to restored confidence, something he apparently lost over the past five months while attempting to return to form as a No. 1 overall prospect.

Perimeter scoring

The biggest positives from Fultz's comeback appeared late in the game with the pressure off. That's when he showcased the signature move he established at Washington: the hesitation pull-up, a shot he uses to create space by rocking defenders back before rising and firing over them. It's the type of move that's behind his exciting upside as an isolation scorer.  

In the fourth-quarter play below, Fultz forced a switch, drawing Mason Plumlee in space. And he capitalized, hitting Plumlee with a hanging dribble into a crossover that allowed him to create significant separation. And while it was promising to see him execute the dribble move, the key takeaway was that he drilled the jumper with a fluid release: 

Later, Fultz drew Plumlee again and hit him with a simpler hesitation pull-up, a move on which he likes to transfer the ball from right to left, hop and hang. That freezes the defender, who has to decide if Fultz will try to blow by or shoot a jumper. In this case, with Plumlee on his heels, he opted for the pull-up:

Here's an example of the same type of play from his Washington days:

Unsurprisingly, Fultz still appeared to be working out kinks in his shot, which we saw on his first perimeter attempt. He did a nice job creating space using step-back footwork, but he may have fumbled the ball getting into his delivery, which forced him to pause after gathering. He didn't release it cleanly or with any fluidity—something we saw during preseason that raised concern—resulting in an air-ball: 

Over time, it's reasonable to think Fultz will become smoother and more decisive with his step-back, as he did at Washington:  

It's worth noting he likely felt plenty of nerves on his first jump shot, knowing how many people had it under their microscopes. The good news is he rebounded late in the game, looking far more comfortable and fluid with his pair of off-the-dribble jumpers.

But for now, teams are bound to play off Fultz and bait him into shooting threes. He didn't attempt any against Denver, and it wasn't due to a lack of opportunities. His defender sagged and went under screens, knowing Fultz hasn't proved himself as a deep threat and that he's more dangerous as a driver:

NBCSports (h/t @DawkinsMTA)

Attacking

We also saw flashes of what Fultz can do while attacking the basket. 

His first bucket of the night came off a blown coverage, but it still highlighted an effective first step, long strides and ability to accelerate from a dead stop:

He also showed off his patented spin move when driving downhill. At Washington, Fultz created a number of dazzling highlights with a quick, slippery spin that he executed while moving north to south past his man and toward the rim, as opposed to spins that resulted in lateral turns east or west away from the basket: 

Despite blowing a layup he'd likely make nine times out of 10, Fultz executed the move like his old self, earning a clean look at the hoop:

We saw his impressive coordination and body control as a finisher. Fultz won't blow away anyone with explosive leaping, but he'll find ways to convert difficult layups through rim protectors or after contact. In this case, he bounced off contact to create a backboard finishing angle:

Playmaking threat

On his eight assists, Fultz benefited from shooters such as JJ Redick, Robert Covington and Ersan Ilyasova. He did not have that luxury at Washington. Against Denver, Fultz kept his head up and made mostly simple passes. But the attention he drew from help defenders was also noteworthy.

On this fourth-quarter play in space, Covington's man refused to take his eyes off Fultz, who sucked him in and handed it to Covington with just enough room for him to release over a weak challenge:

Rust

Fultz's mistakes were mostly due to his having played so little over the past year. On his first ball screen, he failed to read the defensive big man's hedge, crashing into him and coughing up the ball:

On another play, he didn't read the rim protector, resulting in a block on his pull-up jumper, a rarity for anyone: 

All on one play, he passed up an open pull-up jumper and then a short fadeaway in the paint to instead challenge multiple defenders while off balance at the rim:

Encouraging return

Heading into Monday night, it was impossible to have any expectations, given how little we know about his initial injury, recovery, mental state, conditioning and polish. His performance had to be considered a positive step and a sigh of relief for the organization. 

His confidence and comfort should only grow with more games and reps. And with Philadelphia having clinched a spot in the postseason, coach Brett Brown may be more willing to let Fultz play through mistakes.

The 19-year-old rookie picked a good time to return and relocate his rhythm. He could be a scoring and playmaking asset for the Sixers in the playoffs, even if it's in the same 14-minute bench role.

But the ultimate focus should be on his long-term potential, which appears intact again. Though it has just been one game, Fultz is back on track with his development.