NBA Season Preview 2018-19: 5 things to watch for on Opening Night

BOSTON - MAY 9: Boston Celtics' Terry Rozier III leaps to try and block a pass from the 76ers' Joel Embiid during the first half. The Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Five of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi Final playoff series at TD Garden in Boston on May 9, 2018. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

4. Markelle Fultz, real life jump-shooter

After going first overall, Markelle Fultz had quite the bizarre rookie season, where a phantom shoulder injury/complete loss of confidence sapped him of any and all basketball skills. His jump shot, an asset going into the draft, turned into an aesthetic abomination, complete with weird ball placement and ugly hitches.

It’s been a year of watching and hoping for improvements while brick-laying practice videos kept surfacing on Twitter. Then, this happened in a preseason game against Orlando:

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1046904213404569600

Sure, he had plenty of time and his form still looks kinda whack, but the important part is he made the shot. Is it a bad sign a former No. 1 pick making a wide-open 3 came with so much fervor? Absolutely. But Fultz’s destiny carries a lot of weight.

If he grows into the star he was projected to be, it would give Philadelphia the firepower needed to compete with Boston for Eastern Conference dominance in the foreseeable future. If his rookie season signals things to come, the balance of power swings away from the City of Brotherly Love.