5 reasons Markelle Fultz would be perfect for the Sixers
By Chris Stone
2. Markelle Fultz pairs well with Ben Simmons
The other important piece in this equation is Ben Simmons, the player the Philadelphia 76ers drafted with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. While there would be some potential spacing concerns late in games with the Markelle Fultz-Joel Embiid pick-and-roll, those concerns would be smaller with a Fultz-Simmons action given Embiid’s solid 3-point shot.
In fact, the Fultz-Simmons pick-and-roll has the potential to be deadly. Using Simmons as the screener would have a lot of benefits. For starters, on a really small number of possessions in college, Simmons averaged 1.227 points per possession (PPP) (82nd percentile) when finishing possessions as the roll man, per Synergy Sports. What that number doesn’t tell us is how effective he was passing out of those situations. Getting Simmons into four-on-three situations with him moving downhill towards the basket would be deadly first and foremost because of his court vision.
Flipping the set and having Fultz set the screens would be slightly less deadly given that teams could sag off of Simmons, but it still has some potential as getting Fultz moving downhill against a rotating defense is also a dangerous proposition for opponents.
This setup would also give Philadelphia a pair of primary ball-handlers who could initiate offense. Few teams have that luxury.