November 30, 2018
Sixers guard Markelle Fultz will continue to see specialists through early next week, a team source confirmed to PhillyVoice on Friday afternoon.
First reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the timetable has once again been extended for Fultz after he was removed from Sixers' team activities last week. Fultz's agent, Raymond Brothers, announced that his client would not be participating in team activities (games or practices) on the morning of November 20th, following a game against the Phoenix Suns in which Fultz was benched for T.J. McConnell in the second half.
While initial reports on Fultz's absence centered around the shoulder that was suggested as his problem during his rookie season, information that has come out since has called that into question. A team of reporters at The Athletic reported that Fultz's camp wanted to have his wrist looked at as well, in connection to the shooting issues he has experienced over the last year plus.
The expansion of the specialist visits — originally suggested to be a one-off visit this past Monday, which has since turned into a multi-week affair — has offered little clarity on what specifically Fultz and his camp are looking for, or who Fultz has seen throughout this process. In multiple attempts to discuss the situation made by PhillyVoice, Brothers would only confirm the initial report from David Aldridge about the first scheduled visit.
At the direction of his attorney, Raymond Brothers, @MarkelleF is scheduled to see a shoulder specialist early next week. Per Brothers, Fultz will not participate in team practices or games until after the the specialist has had a chance to evaluate him.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) November 20, 2018
On the Sixers' side of things, team representatives have declined comment when asked about the specificity of Fultz's specialist visits, past, present, or future, regardless of whether that pertains to the number of specialists he'll see, the type of doctors who will look at him, or the exact timing of his visits and/or eventual return to the team.
Some of this is a reflection of who is driving the process here. As they've made clear from the day of the initial report from Aldridge, this process has been sought out and executed on the player/agent side of things, with the Sixers mostly waiting to gather all the information they're being given in order to provide a clear update to the public.
The only thing that remains clear at this point is his current status as a member of the active roster.
"Markelle will be around the team unless he is away seeing a specialist, but he is still not participating in practices or games until he is done with this process," a team source told PhillyVoice on Friday afternoon.
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