5 ways Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz impacts Boston series

BOSTON - JANUARY 18: Boston Celtics' Shane Larkin falls to the floor as he battles 76ers' Dario Saric for a loose ball in the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Jan. 18, 2018. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
BOSTON - JANUARY 18: Boston Celtics' Shane Larkin falls to the floor as he battles 76ers' Dario Saric for a loose ball in the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in a regular season NBA basketball game at TD Garden in Boston on Jan. 18, 2018. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 20: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics during the game on October 20, 2017 at Wells Fargo Center 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 20: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics during the game on October 20, 2017 at Wells Fargo Center 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Impact II – Push Celtics into foul trouble

Markelle Fultz is just fast and twitchy enough to pull fouls as he drives to the basket. Against the Miami Heat he was too late and too few to make much of a difference. But if he gets another shot against the Boston Celtics, that resets the entire table.  After all, Fultz is still one of the best, if not overly raw, talents in the NBA from 2017. While the debate of whether or not the Philadelphia 76ers misfired on drafting him rages on, he has a chance to even the score in this series.

In short, he’s motivated.

While some players need a lot of lead in time to build momentum, the beauty of Markelle Fultz is the ability to kick into overdrive instantly. And it needn’t come in the form of taking over the game by scoring.  He has so many areas of the basketball game where he can help out. But one area that gets no attention is drawing fouls.

Drawing fouls has not been Fultz’s forte as of yet. But he possesses all the raw ingredients needed. He is twitchy fast. He can accelerate from a dead stop at the basket. And most of all, he can beat his man. Boston wants to be physical in this series. But the 76ers can use that to their advantage. Forcing Boston to play grabby hands in front of the ref could be a huge boost to the 76ers in the series.