CAMDEN, N.J. - Brett Brown has been here before. The scenario isn't as drastic as in the past, but it's familiar nonetheless: starting the season with an injured rookie for the fifth straight year.
Markelle Fultz will begin his first NBA season dealing with ongoing right shoulder and right knee soreness. The No. 1 pick is expected to play on opening night Wednesday, but will come off the bench after appearing in only two preseason games.
Brown has learned to manage this type of situation after years of experience. Nerlens Noel missed Brown's entire first season because of an ACL injury. Joel Embiid sat out the following two seasons with foot injuries. Ben Simmons suffered a season-ending foot fracture in last year's training camp.
The biggest lesson?
"To go slow," Brown said. "To not put them in a position where it's going to produce some difficult times."
Fultz was likely to be a starter when the Sixers traded up to draft him first overall in June. The 19-year-old guard hasn't had that much experience since then thanks to injuries in both summer league and preseason.
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The Sixers face John Wall, Kyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry in the first three games alone. That would be a tall defensive task if Fultz were to start.
"This league is driven by men, this league is driven by veterans," Brown said. "To just put him in that environment is just, I think, poor coaching and I'm not doing it."
Just as Simmons took advice from Embiid during his injury, he is offering words of wisdom to Fultz.
"[You've] got to to take your time and you definitely have to take care of your body," Simmons said. "Put your body first. There's no need to rush."
The Sixers have the backcourt depth to adjust without Fultz in the starting lineup. They have been turning to veteran Jerryd Bayless at shooting guard alongside Simmons, their intended backcourt pairing last season.
In the meantime, Brown will balance Fultz's health, his growth as an NBA player, and the team's success.
"The end game needs to be developing Markelle Fultz," Brown said.
