Episode 28 of the Sports Betting Tips podcast, featuring veteran NBA journalist Chris Sheridan, is now available. In this week’s episode, Chris speaks with Keith Pompey, Philadelphia 76ers beat writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. Sheridan and Pompey discuss Markelle Fultz’s future, Jimmy Butler’s fit with Philly, and more.
Listen to the full conversation here:
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Fultz’s Future
The conversation begins with the hottest topic in Philly: Fultz. The second-year guard’s shoulder injury and his continued struggles shooting the basketball have cast a large shadow on the 76ers’ season.
“People don’t even care about the wins and losses anymore,” Pompey says of 76ers fans. “They want to know, what’s the latest with Markelle?”
Pompey recaps the situation, explaining that numerous sources have said for more than a year that Fultz’s struggles are more mental than physical. Thus, there is “a lot of skepticism” about Fultz’s injury, Pompey explains. Sources have suggested Fultz simply has the “yips.”
The 76ers hired a shooting coach, Drew Hanlon, to work with Fultz this offseason. When Hanlon received criticism on Twitter early this season, the shooting coach responded. He claimed Fultz was still dealing with an injury.
“Markelle looked at it like Drew Hanlon did him dirty,” Pompey explained.
Thus, the player and coach parted ways.
If Fultz is dealing with a mental issue, as some have suggested, Pompey believes “you have to correct that first before you get in the gym.”
Butler’s Impact
Chris and Pompey also discussed the impact of Jimmy Butler, whom Philly acquired in a recent trade with Minnesota.
“I think they have a little bit more swagger,” Pompey said.
Pompey added that Butler has fit in better in Philadelphia than he did in Minnesota.
“His personality meshes well with the people in Philadelphia, more of a blue-collar guy,” Pompey said.
Later in the podcast, Chris and Pompey discussed the trade market for Fultz, options for the Sixers to load up for playoffs, the East playoff landscape, and more.
Listen to the full episode by hitting play above, and be sure to subscribe to Get More Sports’ podcast Sports Betting Tips with Chris Sheridan on your platform of choice.
