The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Why Fultz coming off bench is good for Philadelphia 76ers

By Rusty Gorelick

(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Brett Brown has announced that the Philadelphia 76ers will begin the season with Markelle Fultz coming off the bench. Here’s why that’s good for the team.

Anthony Bennett, Andrea Bargnani, and now Markelle Fultz are the only first overall picks to not be a starter in the first game of the season of their rookie year since 2003. That will not encourage Philadelphia 76ers fans at all because Bennett and Bargnani are two of the worst first overall picks since 2003. Fultz is less of a development project and more of an instant-impact player than the other two, which is why 76ers fans should look at the positives of the situation.

Coming off the bench with Fultz will most likely be T.J. McConnell, Nik Stauskas or Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot or Justin Anderson, Dario Saric, and Jahlil Okafor. The three possible wings, Stauskas, TLC, and Anderson, are not reliable scorers, and neither is T.J. McConnell. McConnell will let Fultz prepare for playing with Ben Simmons by having Fultz play the two when coming off the bench.

More from The Sixer Sense

Saric and Fultz in a pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop could be dangerous if their shots can improve. Each will be able to get to the rack relatively easily against opponents’ second units, but if they can spread the floor, it will leave space for Jahlil Okafor to go to work down low. Although Fultz will most likely not be the primary ballhandler, a lot of the offense will depend on what he does.

Fultz dropped 10 points off the bench in his season debut, shooting 5-9 from the field. His free-throw stroke still looks horrendous, as he shot 0-2 from the stripe, but his ability to get to the rack was definitely better than his replacement in the starting lineup, Jerryd Bayless. His ability to get to the basket and shake defenders off the dribble looked like the skills of someone worthy of the first overall pick. He even hit a fadeaway jumper, his only jump shot attempt of the game and one more attempt than fans thought they would see from him.

Even though he played next to Saric and McConnell for most of the 18 minutes he was on the floor, the offense really did seem to move through him. When he was playing with Embiid and Simmons, he rarely looked out of place. His showed off his speed on the wing during fast breaks, which should make Philadelphia 76ers fans more comfortable in the fact that he will most likely live up to his expectations, regardless of what his jump shot currently indicates. Honestly, let’s just blame his form on his shoulder.

Next: Sixers deliver offense, but defense still needs work

Fultz’s 10 points on his debut don’t jump off the stat sheet, but the fact he showed flashes greatness is encouraging. Once his shoulder heals, his shot should get back on track and fans will get to see the player they thought they got when the team drafted him. For now, Fultz is running the second unit, and looking pretty good while doing it. As he gets more confident and healthier, he will only improve on his positive, yet unspectacular start.