With Markelle Fultz shot back, are 76'ers a real threat to Celtics in East


The word is out that the 76'ers Markelle Fultz now has his shot back. This article contains no videos of Markelle's damaged shooting form since it was damn painful to watch, even for Celtics fans.

The mystery still surrounds Fultz screwed-up shot and what caused it. The point here is, how good can he be this season and will he help Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Philadelphia become a real threat to the Celtics for dominance in the Eastern Conference.

In addition to Embiid, Simmons and Fultz, Philly brings back J. J. Redick, Dario Saric and Robert Covington. They also acquired Wilson Chandler who may end up backing up Covington at the small forward position.

My guess is that Simmons will again start at point guard, backed up by Fultz, but this could always change depending on what Markelle demonstrates early in the season.



So what was the problem with Markelle's shot? Was it an injury or was it the "yips", as reported by some. I had to educate myself on what the hell yips are, so for those that also need help, here it is (via Wikipedia):

The yips is the loss of fine motor skills in athletes. The condition occurs suddenly and without apparent explanation, usually in mature athletes with years of experience. It is poorly understood and has no known treatment or therapy.

Count me as skeptical. "Occurs suddenly", "without apparent explanation", "poorly understood", " no known treatment or therapy"? I don't buy the yip theory, but maybe some of our readers have some input.

Picture yourself not showing up at the gym and being asked why you are not playing anymore.
You: I got the yips.
Them: You got the what?????
You: The yips!

You get the idea. Damn embarrassing. Back to the original question. Even with a strong season from Fultz, I just don't see Philadelphia taking out Boston in the 2019 playoffs. The 76'ers struck out on acquiring Kawhi Leonard, and I feel they just don't have the cast to match up with the Celtics.

Fultz definitely has high-level talent and deserves to thrive in the NBA. Last season had to be extremely tough for the young athlete. As we can see, anyone able to do cartwheels cannot possibly be still suffering from the yips. As long as he doesn't become the next Celtics Killer, Andrew Toney, I wish him a great season. May the yips leave his body. Apparently, the affliction is not isolated to basketball alone (see tweet below).


Follow Tom at @Tom Lane

Photo via Brian Flaherty/USA TODAY Sports
Share