1. Markelle Fultz
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in modern Sixers history. When Markelle Fultz was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, he was supposed to be the future. The second coming of James Harden, the perfect halfcourt playmaker to take pressure off of Ben Simmons and elevate Joel Embiid.
Alas, the strangest injury debacle of all time derailed Fultz’s tenure with Philadelphia. He appeared in just 14 games as a rookie, then only played in 19 games as a sophomore. The Sixers could never get Fultz on the court long enough to establish rhythm, and his complete inability to shoot was a death knell for any player hoping to share the court with Embiid and Simmons.
He was traded to Orlando for a top-20 protected first round pick in 2019. In the end, Philadelphia has to feel great about this trade because it resulted in Tyrese Maxey being picked with the 21st overall pick in 2020. But, on balance, Fultz is currently outperforming what anyone could reasonably expect from a late first-round pick. He has developed into a genuine NBA player, and even Joel Embiid recently said the Sixers were too quick to give up on the UW product.
Fultz is currently averaging 14.1 points and 5.7 assists as the full-time starting point guard in Orlando. The shooting concerns linger, but Fultz remains a singularly evasive ball-handler with feather-soft touch on shots near the rim. He plays both sides of the ball, regularly elevates teammates, and should have several years of productive NBA basketball ahead of him. It’s impossible not to be happy for him after all he suffered through.