76ers' Markelle Fultz: Cleared to begin 'final stage' of return program

Fultz (shoulder) has been officially cleared to begin "the final stage of his return-to-play program," Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philly reports.

Circumstances surrounding Fultz's return from a "shoulder imbalance" have been clouded, at best, but the team issued a release Tuesday that would seem to imply the No. 1 overall pick could be back on the court for game action in the near future. According to the team, Fultz will be gradually re-integrated into practices and training sessions, while continuing to build up his conditioning. Overall, it's a fairly vague update, but more information should be available once Fultz is back to participating in full-speed practices. The 19-year-old has not played since Oct. 23.