Markelle Fultz, the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, had his shoulder drained in recent days and is set to see a specialist in the near future as he deals with continued pain.
The Philadelphia 76ers guard's agent Raymond Brothers said the 19-year-old has been struggling with shoulder pain since the start of the preseason and had to miss exhibition games because of it.
The injury has also affected his shot, and explains the awkwardness with which Fultz is shooting his free throws.
"He literally cannot raise up his arms to shoot the basketball," Brothers told ESPN.
"He decided to try and fight through the pain to help the team. He has a great attitude. We are committed to finding a solution to get Markelle back to 100 per cent."
There has not been a decision yet as to whether Fultz will miss any games.
Fultz is shooting 33 per cent from the field through his first four NBA games and 50 per cent from the free-throw line, but more telling than anything is that he has not attempted a single three-pointer.
The former Washington Huskies guard shot a whopping 126 three-pointers in 34 games during his lone season at the school (nearly four per game). Despite being unable to shoot the deep ball, Fultz has shown an ability to get to the basket even if he has been unable to finish as well as he would have liked.
"From a basketball perspective, it's been encouraging to see that Markelle can get any shot he wants during the games, but he has been unable to shoot the ball," Brothers said.
Ravaged by injuries to their young stars, Philadelphia are hopeful Fultz can get the care he needs to return to 100 per cent.