Philadelphia 76ers Brett Brown Transform Markelle Fultz Defense

Washington Basketball point guard Markelle Fultz played for an offensively oriented coach Lorenzo Romar. But his skillset is the perfect clay for Philadelphia 76ers Brett Brown to sculpt into an elite defender

Washington Basketball point guard Markelle Fultz is not lauded for his defensive acumen.  He was the hot handed scoring guard on an offensively schemed PAC-12 basketball team. As such, defense was a lower priority. Now Fultz will be joining the opposite minded type of coach. Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown emphasizes defense.

He understands that NBA rookies do not score consistently, and that streaky pattern of points versus no points can shake a young man’s confidence. So he coaches rookies to emphasize defense. Strong defensively play stays with a rookie, and that success defending can kick-start the offense back into its groove.

Two Way Artistry

But creating the perfect two-way NBA player is a fine art, and Brown uses masterful brush strokes. Rookies arrive with the urge to score. Scoring gets you noticed. Scoring gets your name on the marquis.  But defense keeps you in the game. S. Brown plays both sides, urging young players to work on defense, while applauding their offensive efforts.  In the end, he forges two-way players without their knowledge.

Nik Stauskas is one such player. Robert Covington is an even better example.  Brown loves two-way players.  As such, he never ceases to work with players to that end. You can bet Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will emerge as one of the better wing defenders as a result.