Fultz's shooting was not an issue in college! The fact that it's become an issue is the reason everyone is freaking out, he was a good shooter in college.
He even looked pretty darned good in the Summer League. Something happened in between SL and the preseason. Did he get some bad advice from a trainer and try to change his shot? Was he injured?
If he can just revert back to what he was doing in SL he'll be fine. He has the skills. The only question is whether he has some sort of confidence issue that he can't get over.
I expect he'll return to form and by the end of the year he'll be a key part of their rotation.
Summer league is against other substandard rookies or pros that wont make NBA teams.
There are numerous guards that look pretty good in summer league that will never be good enough to hold a spot on an NBA roster.
Whilst some parts of his shooting form can translate, the jump from summer league to the actual league is absolutely huge. He cant just flip a switch and look like how he played in summer league in the big league.
all true, but it has very little to do with shooting and much more to do with athleticism, strength, and overall ability. Guys just don't forget how to shoot. Fultz clearly has something wrong with him. Maybe it is all mental and not physical, but there is clearly something wrong.
Well scapular muscle imbalance is a failure of his and his training staff to recognize problems that he was having in his training and his physical development from a boys athlete to a men's professional athlete. The pain associated with that would affect his shooting.
With that said, the change in competition is everything to his shooting. I don't believe fultz has the athleticism or legspeed to get clear from his opponents in the nba. That's a far bigger problem than a temporary shoulder issue or a lack of confidence. If he can't get open or use his moves to overpower NBA players, he's not a number one pick. When he attacked nba guys going to the rack, he didn't have any physical advantage that a Tatum or a Dennis Smith has. He was reasonably slow, not particularly explosive, and there was no threat of a jumpshot.
Once his shoulders get right I'm sure his shot will get better, but the other stuff I mention doesn't just fix overnight.