Cooney: 76ers should let Fultz play down stretch

Robert Covington has been among the league leaders in the NBA the past few seasons in deflections. The 76ers are also very good at that category when it comes to speaking of the various injuries their players have suffered during that same time frame.

From Nerlens Noel to Joel Embiid to Jahlil Okafor to Ben Simmons, the team has rarely been completely transparent in their injury updates. It is their prerogative, of course, and when you look at how well Embiid and Simmons are playing for the team right now, their injuries and the way they were revealed to the public are distant memories.

This season's injury conundrum, of course, surrounds rookie and top overall draft pick Markelle Fultz. When I saw him play this past July in the Las Vegas Summer League and spoke to people out there who played against and with him, it was blatantly obvious that his skill set was perfectly suited to enhance the talents of Embiid and Simmons and anyone else he would share the court with.

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His handle of the ball was tight and crafty, with a wonderful ability to change speeds. Fultz showed to be a gifted passer, from both the perimeter and in tighter spots, like when he penetrated the lane and found teammates in traffic. His ability to finish at the rim included both toughness and finesse, with either hand. He showed to be a creator in every sense of the word at the offensive end of the floor.

And then there was the shot. Fultz wasn't hesitant in the variety of ways he launched his jumper, from coming off the dribble - preferring to take a hard crossover dribble to his left before rising up - to catch-and-shoot behind a pick to medium range pull-ups. It was a weapon that would have blended perfectly into the system coach Brett Brown was in the process of implementing - a fast-paced tempo that would rely on three-point shooting and finishes at the rim from fastbreaks. 

Then, inexplicably, the shot was gone. In the month that Fultz was away from the team before the beginning of September workouts, his fluid shot had been replaced by a hesitant and jerky one. The smooth follow through was replaced by an uncomfortable push. The team said it was due to a shoulder injury, though it seems very clear the 19-year-old was suffering from a case of the yips more than anything. Throughout the season, Fultz didn't appear to be gaining much improvement with the mental ailment, as looks of him in practice showed a still uncomfortable form.

Until recently.

Fultz now appears to have regained much of the smooth form that he brought to the team back when drafted out of the University of Washington. The hesitation appears to have dissipated, the quickness from dribble to pull-up is back and he once again appears to be at ease with his shooting.

So with 14 games remaining before the team most likely embarks on the playoffs for the first time since 2012, might there be a chance that Fultz will be a part of Brown's rotation? Brown said repeatedly last week that there is still no timetable on when or if his prized rookie would suit up for the first time since playing just four games at the beginning of the season. And while some would think adding him to the rotation at this late date might prove more harmful than good, I think throwing him into the fray would be the right play.

The Sixers could wind up anywhere from the eighth seed to the third when the season ends on April 11. Might they be able to make some noise? Advance a round or possibly two? Perhaps, but this year's playoffs aren't solely about winning, although that is the obvious goal. But this is more of a year about soaking in the experience of what the playoffs have to offer, from the national spotlight to the rigors of playing more games after a draining 82-game regular season. This is the time that Embiid and Simmons and Dario Saric will truly feel the higher intensity of postseason play and what it will physically and mentally take to perform at their highest levels each and every game. Their time to win and for expectations of championship runs in the playoffs aren't now, but a little further down the road. That's why letting Fultz feel what that's all about with the No. 20 on his back instead of a suit jacket is imperative, providing he is in the right place mentally to go out and compete again.

It appears that he is, or most likely very, very close. Perhaps a 10-game stretch of games to finish the season will give us, and the Sixers, a better idea if Fultz is indeed ready to experience all that the playoffs offer. Here's hoping. After all, what is there to lose?

Bob Cooney is a freelance columnist for the Courier Post. He can be heard weekday mornings on 97.5 The Fanatic.