Markelle Fultz evades dodgeballs on ESPN Sport Science (Video)

Markelle Fultz is the surefire No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, and he put his athletic ability on display recently.

Despite playing on a losing team in his only year in college at Washington, Markelle Fultz will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night. The Philadelphia 76ers will trade up from No. 3 to No. 1 with the Boston Celtics to get Fultz, once the reported deal is official and assuming things go as they’re expected to.

Fultz’s talent is clear, even without tangible scientific numbers put to his specific attributes and skills. But ESPN has put some top draft prospects through their Sport Science lab in the time before the draft, and Fultz’s clip aired on Sunday night.

A pro dodgeball team was recruited to create hazards for Fultz on a drive to the basket, and thus allow him to show off some of his moves.

Fultz, of course, was not touched by any throws possibly moving at “more than 60 miles per hour” from the hands of the dodgeball pros. The last throw from the baseline under the basket, as Fultz elevated for a dunk, looked potentially dangerous if the aim was off. But he was unscathed, which is not shocking given the relatively controlled environment.

A spin move like Russell Westbrook and a crossover like Kyrie Irving are top-flight comparisons, before Fultz even dons a 76ers’ hat on draft night and perhaps takes the floor in summer league. The actual value of a Sport Science segment can be debated, and roundly debunked, beyond the “wow” factor. But Fultz showed well in the lab, which I suppose is better than a disappointing showing that showed him getting pelted by dodgeballs.

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Fultz’s Sports Science segment will not inform anyone’s draft strategy, as Philadelphia has already agreed to trade up to get him.