Markelle Fultz Fits Philadelphia 76ers

Living in the Pacific Northwest has given me a great vantage point to witness the impact of Markelle Fultz in NCAA Basketball. Here is why Markelle Fultz fits the Philadelphia 76ers perfectly

So much anticipation for the Philadelphia 76ers today. Markelle Fultz is the prospect Philly cannot stop talking about. Even when there was no path to Markelle Fultz in the upcoming NBA Draft, talk continued. Some of us called upon Karma.  Some of us called upon self fulfilling prophecy.  But no matter how badly the probabilities said it would not happen, the belief that something COULD happen could not be shaken.

It was simply too quiet.  Like a parent with children who suddenly become too quiet, the sense that something “was up” was a tangible force.

Markelle Mania

In the end, those of us swept up in the mania of Markelle Fultz have been vindicated. The reports surfacing on June 16, 2017 validated many who saw the fit as the last cornerpiece to the championship team puzzle forming in Philadelphia right now.   Now, as teams validate medical information, talk to new prospects, and put the finishing pieces to the trade package both sides can agree to, we have a pause in the mayhem.

But the most important aspect is the fit of Markelle Fultz to the Philadelphia 76ers roster. The team has back court players, and with Ben Simmons projected as the point guard role, how does Fultz fit on this team so much better than other teams?

Ah… so very glade you asked that.   Let’s take a look.

Sequencing Enigma

On one hand, we have been talking for years about the elements of a true championship team. It began over a year ago when Basketball Analytics was applied to the fundamental question: On the other hand, what does a championship basketball team need?

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In summary, the answer is three elite players.  But beyond that, three elite players in the same point of their careers.  And that’s so very difficult to master. Many NBA basketball teams find one player whose performance makes an impact on the win total. Bounce low enough in the NBA standings long enough, and the draft will eventually deliver a promising prospect.  But that player helps the team win. That winning pulls the team out of the draft spots where more elite players can be found.

Salary Cap Nightmare

Now the team must trade or sign a free agent. And that engages the NBA salary cap rules. In short, each team must manage a salary budget.  In short, the NBA team with hopes for a championship must anticipate great play and pay for it before it happens to a minimum of three players on their roster.

Once a player produces, every other NBA team will wave fistfuls of dollars their way.  Dollars and championships, in that order, are the only way to attract elite players.  But team without titles must then guess which player combination will get them there, and pay accordingly.

Roster Research

We had recently examined the current Philadelphia 76ers roster, looking for clues as to how good this team is right now.  Pulling from that original article, the team roster appeared rather well rounded.  Of course, the team loses players with expiring contracts. That pulls both Sergio Rodriguez and Tiago Splitter from the roster.

Secondly, the team has some shallowness at the front court currently.   With the current set of knowns, that depth chart looks like this:

2017-2018 DEPTH CHART

CENTER                                                POWER FORWARD                    SMALL FORWARD
Joel Embiid                                           Dario Saric                                    Robert Covington
Jahlil Okafor                                         Shawn Long                                 (Unknown)
Richaun Holmes                                 (Unknown)                                   Justin Anderson*

Shooting Guard                                 Point Guard
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot            Ben Simmons
Nik Stauskas                                       T.J.McConnell
Gerald Henderson                             Jerryd Bayless

Now let’s factor in a Markelle Fultz trade into the depth chart.

2017-2018 DEPTH CHART

CENTER                                                POWER FORWARD                    SMALL FORWARD
Joel Embiid                                           Dario Saric                                   Robert Covington
Jahlil Okafor                                         Shawn Long                                Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Richaun Holmes                                 (Unknown)                                    Justin Anderson*

Shooting Guard                                 Point Guard
Markelle Fultz                                    Ben Simmons
Nik Stauskas                                       T.J.McConnell
Gerald Henderson                             Jerryd Bayless

Suddenly, that roster appears very solid indeed. And if the Ben Simmons to point guard is not 100 percent effective, the team simply moves Simmons to small forward, Fultz to point guard and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to shooting guard. So the position NBA force becomes even more positionless

Let’s Talk About Fit Baby

Markelle Fultz is not your typical top rated NBA Draft prospect. In fact, he is not someone you meet on the street and sense anything special about him.  Now that’s not to say that his basketball acumen is not off-the-charts. It is. But this is a young man who did not get where he is by an anointing ceremony. He has earned his spot, every step of the way.

To put all this into perspective, I recommend you check out a recent article about Markelle Fultz – Late Bloomer to Top Draft Prospect. Author Cody Tyo does a nice job capturing his high school disappointment at not making the varsity team.

Quiet Confidence

But the true key to Markelle Fultz is the essence of the player is the quiet confidence. He is no stranger to adversity. In an almost identical NCAA track to the NBA Draft as Ben Simmons, he is a young man whose play was masked by an unsuccessful team.  He is a grounded individual.  Family comes first, and as soon as you encounter the beautiful warm smile of his mother, you know where the strength comes from.

Markelle Fultz, like Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, is so much talent packaged into a young man who has complete focus on the apex of his NBA career. He does not lose his focus.  And in Philadelphia, there are hundreds of distractions.

Fit Philadelphia Fans

The true test of any athlete is the fit with the fans of Philadelphia, particularly those of the Philadelphia 76ers.  So when he showed up for a Sixers game, you know he would be worthy of an interview by Philadelphia media, and that he would certainly be a topic of an article or two.

Compares To Tracy McGrady

And he passed with flying colors! But the young man had the chance to sit and compete against Tracy McGrady, an NBA superstar whose 15 seasons averaged nearly 20 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists  and  1.2 steals per game.

That’s an incredibly high bar for the young Fultz. But if anyone can do it, Markelle Fultz can.   But can he do it in Philadelphia, for the 76ers?

In a word, YES!

Philadelphia Fit

As a amatter of fact, the needs of the Philadelphia 76ers this year are no long “best player available”.  In fact, the needs in this draft are very specific.

Air Alamo

Let’s review exactly what those needs are:

I      Must be versatile
II     Must be capable of playing NBA defense
III    Must be able to shoot a three-point shot
IV    Must be able to play both with ball or off-ball in backcourt
V     Must have huge upside

VI    Must have good work ethic
VII   Must be able to run team offense
VIII Must elevate play of teammates
IX    Must be coachable
X     Must be capable of carrying team at key moments in game.

And of all those very demanding and specific needs, Markelle Fultz delivers on all points. But what could Markelle Fultz expect in return?

Markelle Fit

So what makes the Philadelphia 76ers the right team for Markelle Fultz? More than you might think. As a rookie, he will fit right in with the Philadelphia 76ers chronologically.  You may know that the team played three rookies last season in Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Dario Saric, and Joel Embiid. This year, the team will debut Ben Simmons.  So Fultz will be among a group of his peers, and will develop alongside other young NBA Players. That means he will get his fair share of playing time, and will develop his NBA skills on track.

Developing Players Philly Forte

Developing any elite player requires a very capable coaching staff.  Look no further than the Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown.  Brown has had some practice in recent years. Wait.. who are we kidding. Until last season, that’s all Brown seemed to be doing.

But the results are plain. Rookie Joel Embiid wow’d the NBA. Dario Saric and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot both improved dramatically in their first seasons.  Now it will be up to Ben Simmons and hopefully Markelle Fultz to keep the positive momentum going.

All that remains to finalize deal

Three things now stand in the way of this deal. Markelle Fultz working out for the Philadelphia 76ers while Celtics targets coordinate working out in Boston.

Markelle Fultz must be medically cleared by Philadelphia 76ers physicians. And the last part is to settle up on the terms of the trade agreement. But that could be a holdup to an announcement.

Oh…There Is One Snag

Some suggest the deal is contingent upon Josh Jackson‘s availability at three. If the Los Angeles Lakers select Josh Jackson, that could void the entire deal.

So now it’s a waiting game. If this deal is contingent upon the availability of one player, that simply advertises the Los Angeles Lakers second pick to any team who wants that player to enter trade talks for with LA.  And if contingent, the trade is not official until the Celtics prospect survives until the third pick of the draft. Plenty of excitement. A valiant effort. But it could all hinge on the Los Angeles Lakers once more.

Next: How much is too much for the first pick?

In conclusion, this was a worthwhile effort by the Philadelphia 76ers to land the best fit for the team in the 2017 NBA Draft.  But if it falls short, or the Celtics withdraw, it remains the same in my mind.