PHILADELPHIA _ Markelle Fultz denies that he had the yips.
The 76ers' second-year guard spent this summer in California training with renowned shooting coach Drew Hanlen. Hanlen said in a podcast what multiple sources have told the Inquirer, that Fultz had the "yips" and "completely forgot how to shoot."
Fultz was asked about Hanlen's comments Friday at Sixers media day and said, "You know, I think it was a miss-term in words, but me and Drew have talked. What happened last year was an injury. Let me get that straight. It was an injury that happened that didn't allow me to go through the certain paths that I needed to shoot the ball.
"Just like any normal person, when you are used to doing something the same way each and every day, and something happens, of course you are going to start thinking about it. It's just normal."
The 20-year-old played in only 17 regular-season and playoff games last season. He played in the first four regular-season games before being sidelined for the next 68 with what the team called a right-shoulder injury. After showing some improvement in his shot, Fultz returned in time for the final 10 games of the regular season.
He played 4 minutes, 21 seconds in the first half of Game 3 of the first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat on April 19. However, T.J. McConnell took over the point-guard duties in the second half, and that proved to be Fultz's last playoff game. He had played in the first two games of that series.
"Of course, that injury happened," Fultz said. "And people took certain things of changing shots and ran with it. But that didn't affect me. That's why I didn't come out last year, and try to go up against the media. I was just worried about getting healthy and getting back to what I had to do."
