Markelle Fultz apparently needs to work on his jump shot

The Philadelphia 76ers plan to have Markelle Fultz as a big part of the future, but his jump shot is apparently not in peak form right now.

One of the arguments against players who are “one-and-done” in college basketball is a lack of refinement in their game, since things like making free throws don’t land on highlight reels. Markelle Fultz was the No. 1 pick this year out of Washington, despite missing some time last year with a knee injury and the Huskies not getting anywhere near the NCAA Tournament.

Fultz suffered a left ankle sprain during Summer League, but he declared himself 100 percent and it should not be a lingering issue. Fultz has also suggested he is working on his free throw stroke, or more specifically going back to his shooting form from college.

But free throws may not be Fultz’s only shooting issue, according to head coach Brett Brown.

The wisdom of Fultz reverting back to what he did in college at the line is debatable, since he made just 64.9 percent of his free throw attempts last season. He was solid from beyond the arc though, converting at a 41.3 percent rate last year, so going back to “previous form” there might not be a bad thing.

During a team scrimmage on Sunday, albeit in a very casual setting, David Murphy of Philly.com chronicled how Fultz was being dared to shoot the ball from the perimeter and offered some overall takeaways.

"It looks to me as if he’s trying to get his release point higher, and make the overall release faster, so that he can better get his shot off over the longer defenders he’ll face at the NBA level. But the speed and trajectory of his jumper don’t matter much if he’s not confident enough to use it."

"In Sunday’s scrimmage, I counted Fultz as taking five shots, three of them jumpers inside 16 feet, including two from the elbow, one of which he made. He did not attempt a three-pointer."

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It’s a bit concerning that Fultz is tweaking any sort of shooting form so close to the season starting. But if it leads to long-term improvement that sticks that’s the most important thing, as the 76ers start to get some fruit from their “Process.”