Philadelphia 76ers need to choose between Markelle Fultz and winning

Is it time for the Philadelphia 76ers to end the Markelle Fultz experiment?

It’d be an understatement to call the Markelle Fultz situation weird. From a mysterious shoulder injury to well-documented shot amnesia to Rocky-esque training sessions with Drew Hanlen over the summer, Fultz has been on a roller coaster of an NBA journey. Philadelphia 76ers fans have been by Fultz’s side throughout all of his ups and downs and stayed patient through Fultz’s return to NBA-caliber play.

However, with a roster featuring two up-and-coming stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons built to contend for an Eastern Conference title, patience in the Sixers’ front office has to be wearing thin.

Right now, Markelle Fultz is actively hurting the Sixers whenever he steps on the court. During the process era, where a successful season meant a high draft pick, that would have been okay. But on a contender like the Philadelphia 76ers, waiting for Fultz to develop isn’t an option.

The case for Fultz

There’s no debating the fact that Fultz is no longer the Washington guard the Sixers traded up for. Fultz’s three-point range and confidence has nearly vanished — Fultz has only taken 12 legitimate three-pointers this season.

However, Fultz is showing development: he looked lost on both ends of the court against Boston in the season opener, but has slowly become more confident offensively and active defensively. Patience will be key.

Also, every once in a while there’s a flash of the old Fultz. When he glides coast-to-coast for an effortless dunk, or throws down a vicious poster in traffic, it reminds everyone why he went first overall.

There’s also a more pessimistic reason for keeping Markelle Fultz. Right now, the Eastern Conference is ultimately a contest to decide who gets to lose to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. There’s no reason to go into win-now mode because there is no winning now for anyone not in the Bay Area.

With that in mind, the Sixers shouldn’t give up potential stars for a chance at the Finals.

The case against Fultz

Markelle Fultz is practically a rookie guard this season. With very rare exceptions (like Fultz’s backcourt mate Ben Simmons), rookie guards struggle. Fultz is not an exception. When Fultz takes the place of more reliable backcourt options like JJ Redick, the offense suffers and the defense implodes.

The starting lineup of Fultz, Simmons, Embiid, Dario Saric, and Robert Covington is being outscored by 29.6 points per 100 possessions. That number is atrocious — especially after last season’s starting lineup with the sharpshooter Redick replacing Fultz outscored opponents by 20.4 points per 100 possessions.

Obviously the difference between Fultz and Redick isn’t 50 points per 100 possessions and Fultz’s stats will improve. But it’s concerning that the Sixers are still sacrificing winning for player development.

With players like Jimmy Butler on the trade block, there’s no reason Fultz can’t be moved for a more versatile, experienced offensive weapon who could put the Sixers in the same tier as the Celtics and Raptors.

The numbers don’t lie. Right now, Fultz is holding the Sixers back on both offense and defense. Moving him for a more competent player would make the Sixers much better in the short term.

What will Philly do?

The Fultz conundrum is ultimately up to what Brett Brown’s plan for the season is. At least for now, it seems like Brown wants to emphasize player development over winning now. He spoke to the media before the season about why he planned on starting Fultz. It came down to long-term development over short-term success.

"“What [starting Fultz] does is it lets me try to grow Markelle and bring him along at the start of a game. It’s five minutes — I think it’s not as dramatic as sometimes people do. So it’s five minutes. I’m doing that because I want to grow him. I want to grow us. Can that help us? And I believe that it can."

As long as Brett Brown and the Sixers feel this way, get used to seeing Fultz in a Sixers uniform.

Stats as of Nov. 1, prior to Clippers game.