The Sixer Sense
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Markelle Fultz might be the Sixers’ most important offensive player

By Christopher Kline

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 8: Markelle Fultz #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 8, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 8: Markelle Fultz #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Golden State Warriors during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League on July 8, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Despite being viewed as the tertiary member of the Philadelphia 76ers‘ corerstone triad, Markelle Fultz could end up being their most important offensive player.

The Philadelphia 76ers took a risk when they traded up for the first overall pick in June. While Markelle Fultz was the obvious number one talent and has legitimate superstar potential, giving up multiple assets — especially in what could end up being a pair of inordinately deep draft classes — signaled a commitment to not only Fultz, but the direction he now sends the franchise.

Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers /

Philadelphia 76ers

With a healthy Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons expected to hit the starting rotation alongside the newly-added J.J. Redick next season, the Sixers are firmly in the playoff conversation. The East stinks, while Brett Brown finally has the defensive and offensive talent needed to make his rotations serviceable on both sides of the ball.

Embiid led Philadelphia to near-.500 ball during his time on the court last season, an impressive feat for a rookie operating in limited minutes. That was in large part due to his presence offensively, where he averaged 20.2 points per game, which extrapolates out to 28.7 on a per-36 basis.

The Sixers, for all of Embiid’s talent, were otherwise underwhelming offensively. T.J. McConnell is a steady hand, but not much else, while Robert Covington and Dario Saric both went through inconsistent campaigns from beyond the arc. There wasn’t any real threat on the perimeter, and that’s a difficult limitation to press on a center in today’s league — and Joel still showed out.

That doesn’t necessarily make Embiid the Sixers’ most important offensive piece moving forward, though. While obviously talented, extended minutes and greater fatigue will eventually bring Embiid’s effecieicny back down to earth, and with that comes the need for production elsewhere on the floor.

In the current state of the NBA, running the offense through a post-heavy five man is difficult. As capable as Embiid is when shooting the ball, his best offensive moments still come when he’s attacking the interior and leveraging his footwork and physical tools to overwhelm inferior defenders.

That’s why the team’s need for more perimeter help has always been such a massive focal point, both among casual fans and the lead brass in the front office. A perimeter-oriented scorer who can help space the floor while still creating for others and shouldering the load in isolation down the stretch is something almost every competitive unit has — and something the Sixers have lacked for quite some time.

Ben Simmons might be the main ball handler, but he doesn’t  boast nearly the same upside as a scorer. Fultz is a pick-and-roll nightmare for defenses, an action he could run on repeat with Embiid while getting consistently positive results.

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His above-40 percent shooting from deep during his brief collegiate run wasn’t a fluke either. He was the offensive bell cow for a Washington team that lacked talented elsewhere on the floor. That meant Fultz was tasked with tougher shots in a higher volume comparative to what he’ll see in Philadelphia — and he still executed at a high level.

His mechanics are aesthetically odd, but his form is gorgeous at it’s foundation. His elbow stays in, while his fluidity of motion, something that manifests throughout his offensive repertoire, allows him to shoot with minimal variance in release point or timing.

This league is facilitated by guard play, and Fultz has the ability to be elite. It’s almost like we forget about just how special Fultz’s ceiling genuinely is. He’s coming in behind two already-great draftees in Embiid and Simmons, while the vast majority of hype in this year’s class has centered around the number two pick in Lonzo Ball — an anomaly in media sensationalism that we’ve never seen before.

Fultz, despite being the best guard prospect since Kyrie Irving, has somehow managed to fly under the radar. He’s lowkey in nature, and that has inadvertently altered expectations. Embiid and Simmons are among the most unique and talented prospects to enter the league in quite some time, and Fultz finds himself in that same tier.

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James Harden has been the comparison of choice for many, and players with that diversity of both scoring and playmaking are what drive the evolution of the modernized game. An elite center can’t carry the offense like an elite guard, and Fultz — whether it be next season or further down the road — could end up as a prime example of why.