Furkan Aldemir has been in Philadelphia for all of a couple days and seen just 10 minutes of game action, yet he's already dealing with an injury. The team announced Aldemir did not practice Thursday due to right foot plantar fasciitis, and is listed as doubtful for Friday's game. Not a great start to his NBA career.
From Brett Brown (via CSNPhilly's Dei Lynam):
"It is not as bad as it sounds," coach Brett Brown said. "He came over here and all the physicals and MRIs did not reveal anything. He got off the plane, played in a game, had a hard practice.
"This is more precautionary than it is something we think will linger. I could be wrong, but at this stage that is how it has been explained to me."
For those unfamiliar with what exactly plantar fasciitis is, WebMD has more:
The plantar fasciitis is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.
Plantar fasciitis is common in middle-aged people. It also occurs in younger people who are on their feet a lot, like athletes or soldiers. It can happen in one foot or both feet.
Plantar fasciitis is caused by straining the ligament that supports your arch. Repeated strain can cause tiny tears in the ligament. These can lead to pain and swelling.
Basically the only thing you can do for plantar fasciitis is rest, but those are certainly two words you don't want to hear as a professional athlete. Other NBA players in recent memory who have dealt with the injury are Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Joe Johnson. While all three have continued to have nice careers following the injury, plantar fasciitis is an injury that only gets worse over time, and apparently hurts like hell.
It's certainly worth monitoring, mostly because the Sixers are actually invested in Aldemir. He signed a 4 year, $12 million deal with Philadelphia after leaving Galatasaray.