With the Philadelphia 76ers apparently in agreement with the Boston Celtics to acquire the first pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, likely No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz swung through Philly this weekend for a workout. And according to Fultz, he can’t wait to team up with the 76ers’ your core of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, as Keith Pompey writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Fultz thinks his skill set would be a great fit for the Sixers, who like to get out in transition and stress defense.
“I think the tools that I have to be a defensive player will help them get out in transition,” he said. “I’m a pretty good shot- blocker for a point guard. So I think, helping them with that, everything will pretty much help with that.”
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Fultz made 41.3 percent of his shots from the college 3-point line. Finding a shooter with his 3-point ability was a priority for the Sixers. As he pointed out, Fultz can slide off the ball and be a solid addition next to Simmons.
Fultz already has a bond with the team’s best player, Joel Embiid. The center posted a selfie Saturday of himself and Dario Saric standing in from of a locker with a Markelle Fultz nameplate at the Sixers’ practice facility.
“First of all, Embiid, he and I have been talking before when I was in college,” Fultz said. “He’s a cool guy.”
Embiid has been giving Fultz tips in addition to making him laugh.
“So when I saw that it was pretty cool and pretty funny,” he said of the selfie. “I’m pretty happy that the players here want to come here.”
The Sixers, who selected Simmons first last summer, will become the second team in five years to have consecutive No. 1 picks. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Anthony Bennett in 2013 and Andrew Wiggins a year later.
