Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz has a striking similarity with center Joel Embiid. Neither gets mad at naysayers, they just go out and prove them wrong.
Determination comes in many forms. Sometimes it takes the shape of pushing oneself past fatigue. Other times it’s the athlete who rises from pain to put on a remarkable performance, despite the limits to his own humanity. But perhaps the most determined of the professional athletes who absorb criticisms and naysayers and convert that negative energy into positive motivation. The Philadelphia 76ers have had their share of naysayers.
Joel Embiid is like that.
Perhaps Markelle Fultz is like that too.
Markelle Fultz really seems to relish/pay attention to this stuff. pic.twitter.com/p4il1xBXls
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) June 1, 2017
Drama finds Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz is neither loud now overly boastful. He’s confident, and he sets a high bar for himself. Much to the chagrin of his contemporaries or opponents, his talent is so high he usually surpasses those goals.
When a young man enters a veteran professional domain, players like Markelle Fultz bring a buzz of excitement. Like ripples on a still lake, the nature of his play attracts both admirers, competitors, and detractors.
Big Baller boasts
He didn’t start the controversy with Lonzo Ball. In fact, he didn’t even chase it down. It chased him down after Ball called him out in days leading up to the NBA Draft.
Lonzo Ball channels his inner LaVar Ball and claims he's better than former Washington star Markelle Fultz. https://t.co/8lFS9rAkpJ pic.twitter.com/s3ILNOk9Fd
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 28, 2017
But Markelle Fultz didn’t wilt. He didn’t shirk away from the challenge. In fact, he did get in some solid counter comments.
Challenge accepted
In an interview with Tania Gagzuli of the Los Angeles Times, Fultz made his statement deliberately:
"““I’m a competitor. Anybody that’s in front of me I’m going to try to take them out. Lonzo’s a great guard so we’ll compete for the same position. Just stepping on the court, I’m going to try to beat him in everything I do. Just tie my shoes faster and everything. Really to me it doesn’t matter; wherever I go I’m going to be the same guy,” Fultz said. “I’m going to be humble. Of course coming here, like you said with the Hollywood lights it’s going to be great publicity. I’ll get my brand out there and just build it myself.”"
Fultz was clearly a target for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft. Ball wanted to be the Lakers pick. Since Fultz was off the board and NOT a Lakers option, Lonzo Ball got his wish.
Veterans weighing in
If it ended with the Ball family, it would blow over like the buzz on Big Baller Brand merchandise. But it didn’t. Instead, it brought Washington Wizards to a point of playing both sides of the fence. At one point, he stated Fultz was the best player available in the 2017 NBA Draft:
Afterwards, he waffled and stated that De’Aaron Fox, drafted by the Sacramento Kings, will have the better NBA career. While it’s impossible to determine if that is aimed at Fultz or the Philadelphia 76ers, it was noted by Fultz.
Rookies seldom attract so much attention. But few rookies arrive to the NBA as touted as the young Upper Marlboro, Maryland native. Let the naysaying happen. I doubt that it will have much impact on the young man’s immediate or long term NBA future.
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In fact, it will likely be a source of good reading down the road. Along the lines of “Remember when (insert BB name here) claimed Markelle Fultz would never be better than (insert rookie name here)?” Markelle Fultz is taking names now for just such an occasion.