Report: Fultz a ‘completely different, vastly improved’ player

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff 

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a somewhat underwhelming offseason to this point. Whether you agree with their free agent/trade moves or not, one thing remains true. The success of the 2018-19 Sixers hinges a lot on the outcome of Markelle Fultz's work with skills coach Drew Hanlen.

In early July, Hanlen released behind the scenes footage of Fultz's workout without showing his full shot. In a recent podcast with HoopsHype, Hanlen mentioned that the goal isn't to hide Fultz from the fans, but rather not to add any more pressure on the former 2017 No. 1 overall pick after a year in which he was scrutinized for forgetting how to shoot.

“What I can tell you is that he’s doing very well,” Hanlen said. “I think that a lot of people think that we’re hiding him and we’re not hiding him. We’re just being very strategic in what we share because obviously, you don’t want to ever add pressure to a player when you don’t have to."

As we all continue to ponder what Fultz will contribute this season, Jordan Schultz of Yahoo! Sports hears that buzz is building around Markelle and that his shot is completely rebuilt.

If things bode well, we can almost view Fultz as a marquee FA addition Philly – he can really score, he's great in P-R, he's an active/range defender. And, if Fultz boasts consistent jump shot, he will open up driving lanes for the arc-avoiding Simmons/be a kickout option. #76ers

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 22, 2018

Fultz, 20, played in just 14 regular season games during his rookie year. After 60+ games missed nursing a case of the yips combined with a mysterious shoulder injury, he returned and showed some signs of the player he once was.

A repaired Fultz jump-shot could alleviate the pain from missing out on a bigger free agent this summer. At just 20 years of age, the former Washington product could shock the world after being labeled a bust by many in Philadelphia and around the country.