Markelle Fultz, center, greets Jimmy Butler, left, and Mike Muscala during a timeout in Saturday's game against Oklahoma City. Fultz has returned to Philadelphia to continue his rehab for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, but his return to game action is anything but imminent.
PHILADELPHIA — The coast-to-coast upper-body rehab of Markelle Fultz has brought him back to the 76ers.
Though the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft was not in uniform, nor will he likely play any time soon, Fultz was on the bench Saturday during a 117-115 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In that, the California leg of recovery from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is over, and Fultz will complete the process under the Sixers' watch in Camden.
Fultz has been inactive since Nov. 19 as he has tried to recover from an upper-body issue said to have affected his shooting form. A starter early in the season, he had been reduced to a backup role after averaging 8.2 points and occasionally exhibiting unusual shooting form.
"As far as endurance and cardio and basketball shape, I don't know where he is," Brown said. "And once you can assess that judgment, you try to get him back on an NBA court where he can play again. But you don't know how far away that is.
"I think that's the next step physically, to assess where he is conditioning-wise and some level of NBA rhythm.
Once, the 76ers had a motto: Trust the process. More recently, they have had another: Trust the player.
While not a dramatic shift in franchise philosophy, and in fact a gradual development over the last year and a half, it was used again Saturday when the Sixers waited for one thumb's up before ruling Joel Embiid ready to play.
That thumb didn't belong to a sports scientist. It belonged to Embiid, who had been considered a game-time decision with a sore back.
During the two full years Embiid sat out with various injuries before beginning his NBA career, the Sixers had made it clear that their medical staff, and that medical staff alone, had full authority over the availability of players. As Brown used to paint the picture, he literally would arrive in his office on game day and, on a white board of some sort, there would be players' names. Those written in green were available. Those written in red were out. No questions. No debate. No variation.
But ever since Embiid signed his $148,000,000 contract in 2017, that began to change. In recent days, as Embiid has fought off back pain, it has been clear that he tops Brown's list of game-readiness consultants.
Before the game, Embiid was seen stretching and receiving treatment on his back. The Sixers didn't formally announce that he would play until roughly 15 minutes before game time, or about 15 minutes later than usual. But Embiid clocked 33:40, scored 31 points and was a plus-15.
When he was out of the game, Embiid wore a heating pad on his lower back. Other than that, he showed no outward sign of physical trauma.
Late in the game, Russell Westbrook stumbled on a hard drive to the basket, with Embiid coming over the top to commit a foul. Westbrook having landed hard out of bounds, he appeared to approach Embiid in anger, only to be redirected by a crowd of teammates toward the sideline.
Embiid's 20th game with at least 30 points left him second in the NBA to James Harden, who has 28. Harden and the Rockets will be in the Wells Fargo Center Monday night at 8.