Markelle Fultz would look great holding a Philadelphia 76ers’ jersey on draft night.
The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly exploring a trade for the Boston Celtics’ No. 1 pick with plans to target Washington point guard Markelle Fultz. The 6-foot-4 point guard is widely regarded as the top prospect in the NBA Draft, and he would certainly look good in a Sixers jersey. Here are five reasons why he’d be a perfect fit.
5. Markelle Fultz is the best player in the 2017 draft
Any time a franchise has an opportunity to walk away with the best player in a draft, it’s worth exploring. That’s especially true when the the prospect in question is the best point guard prospect in at least five years.
Fultz was an absolute monster in his one season at Washington, averaging 26.0 points, 6.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds per 40 minutes. He posted a reasonably efficient 55.8 true shooting percentage and shot 41.3 percent from behind the arc. While there are reasons to be skeptical that he’ll maintain that 3-point percentage — namely his poor free throw shooting — Fultz certainly deserves to be classified as a three level scorer.
The Washington guard is an elite ball-handler who can break down defenses with a wide variety of moves off the bounce. His ability to get into the teeth of defenses can open up shots for his teammates, which will be even more valuable in the NBA where he’ll have shooters that he didn’t have with the Huskies.
Landing No. 1 matters even more because the players behind Fultz, including Lonzo Ball and Josh Jackson, don’t have the same ceiling. Fultz has a legitimate chance to lead a team deep into the playoffs at some point in his career as the primary option. If you can lock that up, you should.