After struggling his entire rookie season with shooting and failing to hit a three-pointer in the first 15 games of his NBA career, Philadelphia 76ers’ guard Markelle Fultz finally got one in Thursday night’s blowout 127-108 win against the Chicago Bulls.
With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Fultz was left all alone behind the three-point line, with the Bulls’ players daring him to take a shot. The 20-year-old took the opportunity and drained a three-pointer to give his team a 20 points lead. The shot sent the crowd into a frenzy as if they sensed that Fultz might be getting back to his college form when he was one of the best shooters in the game.
After the game, Markelle Fultz said that “it felt good” to score his first three-pointer in the pros.
“Well, I mean, a little bit,” – said Fultz when reporters asked him whether he felt relief after the shot got in. “I worked hard this summer. I shot 3s. I shot midrange. I worked on my game, so I was comfortable shooting it. I believed in it, and I thought it was going in, which it did. So it felt good.“
Fultz also said that despite the shooting struggles last season, he isn’t afraid of shooting the ball and that he’ll keep on using the opportunities.
“I’m never afraid,” – he added. “I worked hard this summer. Tonight I didn’t make a lot of them, but I’m going to keep shooting. If I see an open shot, I’m going to go shoot it. That’s what I work for. Tonight it didn’t fall, but eventually, it will. I am going to keep working. And if I see my teammates — you know I’ve got great teammates — I’m going to find them.“
Before 2017 NBA Draft, Philadelphia 76ers identified Markelle Fultz as the missing piece of “The Process” and traded up to take him No.1 overall. It looked like a reasonable decision, considering that Fultz 23.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while in college and had a reputation of being a talented shooter.
Still, things didn’t turn out well for the 76ers, since Fultz struggle with injured his shoulder which affected his shot. He ended up playing only 14 games in his rookie season during which he averaged 7.1 points on 40.5 percent shooting. Over the summer, he worked on his improving his shot and Philadelphia now hopes that Fultz can finally become a contributor to this talented team.
