Markelle Fultz has earned a spot in the playoff rotation

By Christopher Kline | Apr 8, 2018

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 3: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers plays tight defense against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center on April 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia 76ers are surging into the playoffs, and Markelle Fultz deserves to be a part of that.

If the Philadelphia 76ers take care of business down the stretch, they’ll enter the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Right now, that’d mean a first-round matchup with Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat.

Winners of 13 straight, the Sixers have been surging in recent weeks. Even with Joel Embiid on the sidelines, Ben Simmons‘ stellar play and significant improvements in the second unit have established them as a legitimate contender. They probably won’t win the East, but a run to the conference finals isn’t off the table.

Perhaps the biggest change to their second unit has been the addition of Markelle Fultz. He hasn’t received much in terms of playing time, but he has thrived in his brief stints as Ben Simmons’ backup.

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When his return was announced a couple weeks ago, there were questions about whether or not he’d play in the postseason. Now, there’s no doubt.

Fultz has been as dynamic as one could have hoped for since getting back on the court. His jumper isn’t all the way there yet, but he’s knocking down the occasional mid-range pull-up and is plenty capable of getting to the rim and finishing through traffic.

The body control, vision and basketball I.Q. that made him the No. 1 pick is still there. If the Sixers had a re-do on the 2017 draft, I’d venture to say Fultz might still be the pick — over Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum.

Offense hasn’t been the only bright spot for Fultz, though. He’s also showing serious potential on the defensive end, where his 6-9 wingspan and plus athleticism shines. He adds another long, versatile body to one of the best defensive rotations in the league.

There should only be one question at this point: How big will Fultz’s role be in the playoffs?

In general, rotations get shorter in the postseason. Minutes for back-of-the-rotation guys get shifted to the front of the rotation, meaning the likes of Simmons and Embiid will stay on the floor for longer periods of time.

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T.J. McConnell has seen his playing time cut significantly in recent weeks, seeing just five minutes of action in Friday night’s win over Cleveland. Justin Anderson was a DNP-CD, and there’s no reason to believe he’ll get much playing time, if any, once the playoffs start.

If McConnell does get ousted from the rotation, Fultz should take on those minutes. The 19-year-old needs a three-point shot to maximize his potential next to Simmons, but we’ve seen Simmons and T.J. coincide successfully all season.

McConnell hasn’t taken a three since February.

Both Simmons and Fultz are high-I.Q. players who are capable of generating offense on their own. With the way they’ve both been playing lately, there’s a good chance they can figure out how to make things work for 5-10 minutes per game.

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Regardless of how Brett Brown divides the minutes, though, Fultz needs to be on the floor in mid-April. He’s too good — and too valuable — not to get that experience under his belt.