The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz last piece to elite team play

By Bret Stuter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 23: The Philadelphia 76ers host a post draft press conference announcing new players Anzejs Pasecniks, Markelle Fultz, Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort at the Sixers Training Complex on June 23, 2017 in Camden, New Jersey. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 23: The Philadelphia 76ers host a post draft press conference announcing new players Anzejs Pasecniks, Markelle Fultz, Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort at the Sixers Training Complex on June 23, 2017 in Camden, New Jersey. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 23: Markelle Fultz
DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 23: Markelle Fultz /

Excellent shooting skills

Markelle Fultz was an offensive juggernaut in NCAA basketball. As a player for the Washington Huskies, he was their top scorer and ball handler. He led the team in scoring (23.2 PPG), and assists (5.9 APG), was second in rebounds (5.7 RPG), steals (1.6 SPG) and blocks (1.2 BPG), and he led the team in three-point shooting accuracy at 41.3 percent.  In short, he hustled all over the basketball court.

Markelle Fultz has four different speeds, and he can change from one to another instantly. He has the nearly stationary stance where he is processing the court around him, he has a steady gate speed which moves the ball deliberately, but allows him to process the defense pattern. Next he has a fast speed which he will launch into in a fast break. Finally, he has “blur” speed, which he uses to flash past a defender on the way to the basket. Each speed has it’s own set of shots he can take, and depending on the proximity to the basket, requires varying degrees to defend.

Summer league promise

Fultz showed up in a Philadelphia 76ers jersey for the 2017 NBA Summer League.  In Utah, he averaged 20 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, and 1.5 BPG.  And he shot a respectable 46.9 percent from the floor.   He only played one game in Las Vegas for 15 minutes, where he scored 8.0 points and shot just 25 percent. He had to leave Las Vegas with an ankle injury, a setback for both the player and the team.

While he played well, he arrived to the NBA with just 25 games of NCAA basketball under his belt. The NBA Summer League was the segue designed to ease Markelle Fultz’s transition to the NBA stage.

But in the transition from an ankle injury, a shoulder injury developed which threw his entire shooting mechanics off kilter.