76ers' Brown suggests Fultz's shooting ability keeping him out, not injury

Markelle Fultz has supposedly been healthy for weeks but still hasn't made his return to the court, so what gives?

Reporters got a good look at the Philadelphia 76ers guard's jumper on Sunday, and it doesn't look good.

Fultz, 19, has missed all but four games this season while recovering from right shoulder soreness and scapular muscle imbalance. The Sixers announced on Dec. 9 the shoulder was no longer in pain, but their prized rookie would miss another three weeks.

It's been five weeks since then and Fultz remains on the shelf, so many are wondering what is still keeping him out of the lineup. On Sunday, head coach Brett Brown provided some insight.

"I think what he needs to be is able to shoot a basketball," Brown said, as quoted by PhillyVoice's Kyle Neubeck.

The former Washington star's shooting form has been a point of contention this season within the organization, with questions brewing over whether the shoulder injury directly compromised Fultz's mechanics or if he adjusted his form to work around it.

Either way, it hasn't improved. In fact, it looks worse.

"How would I assess where his shot is currently at? It's not where it used to be," Brown said. "It's not where it used to be. His free-throw I think is, but some of the longer shots and the rise-ups are not, and that's just part of him getting through this progressive adjustment, trying to figure out the injury going forward."

Brown added that while Fultz's health is getting better, he believes there's still occasional discomfort in the shoulder.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged six points on just 33.3 percent shooting from the field and didn't attempt a 3-pointer over his four games for the 76ers, who sit 1.5 games behind the eighth seed.