Markelle Fultz is still ROY candidate off 76ers bench
Myopia. That is the only way to rationalize fans already regretting the trade which shot the Philadelphia 76ers to the top of the NBA Draft to select Markelle Fultz, the consensus number one player in the 2017 NBA Draft and the ideal prospect to cement this team roster for the foreseeable future.
Air Alamo
Now, some summer league and preseason games already prompt some Philadelphia 76ers fans to regret the selection. Some believe Lonzo Ball or Jayson Tatum would have been a better choice.
Wudda Cudda Shudda regrets are unwinnable. It’s speculative scenarios which never fit the facts. In the cases of both Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum, both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics made significant roster changes to enhance team needs to align with player skillsets.
Fultz must adapt, Sixers won’t
On the Philadelphia 76ers, it is Markelle Fultz who must realign his skillsets to fit specific, and very complex, needs of the team. Head coach Brett Brown won’t throw a rookie out and just ask him to play only offense on this team. That approach has truly hindered the development of Jahlil Okafor.
It won’t happen again.
And so, Markelle Fultz is under tremendous pressure as a 19 year old. He wants to be the best player in the NBA eventually. But to be the best, he cannot take a short cut. He cannot go out there shooting on offense and watching opponents run past him on defense.
Coach Brown values defense. Markelle Fultz will learn defense this year too.