It’s the ninth game of the season. The Sixers have surrendered a 20-plus-point lead to the meandering Clippers, just two days after an embarrassing loss to the division-leading Raptors. The morale is low and Lou Williams sets up pick-and-roll against his home city for a potential game-tying bucket in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
An unlikely defender helps to spearhead a defensive stop. It’s Markelle Fultz, who fights through a pick to stay with Williams and forces him to pass out the ball before grabbing the defensive rebound. Fultz then takes it the length of the court and lays it in. The crowd in the Wells Fargo Center erupts, as it has for nearly every positive Fultz play over the past year. Despite his struggles, the 76ers faithful are fully behind last year’s No. 1 pick, who is showcasing some potential during a season littered with disappointing possessions.
There’s a sense of calm among Philadelphia sports fans, as I explained on NBA Math’s Hardwood Knocks podcast. Maybe it’s the aftereffect of the Eagles bringing the city a liberating NFL championship. Maybe years of Sam Hinkie setting up The Process and fans seeing the fruit of that work have taught the city patience. Whatever it is, a fanbase that may have – in the past – torn apart a player who failed to meet lofty expectations is now supporting him as he attempts to cultivate his game. The team shares the city’s vibe, as it knows Fultz must live up to his potential for the team to reach its ceiling in its current form.
“Any game experience with him is fantastic,” J.J. Redick told the media, including Hoops Rumors, after a recent Sixers home game.
“[Fultz] didn’t get a chance to be in a rhythm last year, so part of that for any young player is, and I had to do this with [Austin Rivers] when he first came to the Clippers, you got to figure out what your base is every night…’Make or miss, these are the things I’m going to do every night’ and I think for Markelle, getting the chance to get 25-30 minutes a game is huge. Gives him a chance to build his base and part of that is going to be playmaking and being on the ball on offense.”
Getting Fultz reps with the ball has been tricky and playing him alongside Ben Simmons hasn’t been successful. The Sixers have been outscored by 6.3 points per 100 possessions when the duo shares the floor. Head coach Brett Brown recognized the issue and adjusted his lineup after the loss to the Bucks by staggering Simmons and Fultz more. The pair hasn’t seen as many as 10 minutes together in any game since that night in Milwaukee.
The rotation change has resulted in less court time for the University of Washington product, as his playing time has dipped by more than two minutes per game since the adjustment. Still, Fultz is likely playing more than his production warrants and that’s a result of his No. 1 pick status and Philadelphia’s (justified) patience with a player it hopes can be a major piece on a championship team.
Fantasy owners should not display the same patience this season. Fultz is a streaky option with low percentages (39.3% from the field, 30.8% from behind the arc), someone who belongs on waivers, far away from fantasy lineups. If you own him, you could hold onto him until his next decent game and attempt to trade him to an owner who buys into the potential.
T.J. McConnell played over Fultz in crunch-time lineups earlier in the season before he saw Mike Muscala take that fifth spot from him. Neither one of those players are long-term fantasy options. Dario Saric could be a nice daily fantasy play with Muscala unlikely to suit up against the Pacers on Wednesday, though the Croatian has struggled this season, making just 33% of his attempts from the field.
Robert Covington is questionable for the contest in Indiana with lower back soreness. He’s been a fantasy asset so far this year, especially in roto leagues. He’s owned in 28% of ESPN leagues but that figure is criminal. Scoop him up if he’s on the waiver wire regardless of whether he suits up on Wednesday.
Wilson Chandler is expected to play a low-usage role for the Sixers, as he recently told Hoops Rumors. He’s on a restriction of 10 minutes per game as he works his way back from a hamstring injury and it’s unlikely he becomes a consistent fantasy option this season.
Philadelphia’s injuries may give Fultz some added time on the court this week and maybe it’s worth waiting it out for that aforementioned decent game before pulling the plug. More likely, it’s best to cut ties and look for someone with a better chance at becoming a quality fantasy contributor this season (like Frank Ntilikina, who is owned in just 6.2% of ESPN leagues).
The 76ers franchise, the city, it’s fans and affiliates reserve the right to have patience with the 20-year-old point guard. It’s not recommended that fantasy owners follow suit.
Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.
Missed an earlier edition of Fantasy Hoops? Check out the entire series here.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Fultz dropped 30 in his first career game in college. Jus saying
That was when he could still shoot.
Yeah, while his team lost at home to an otherwise pathetically weak Yale.
link to gohuskies.com
Washington had one of its worst seasons with Fultz at the helm, going 2-16 in college baseketball’s worst P5 conference, the Pac-12.
Anyone who had watched his college games knew that he’s been way overrated, just ask Washington or any other Pac-12 fans.
The most annoying characteristic about Fultz was his indifference while his team took one beating after another.
Even the TV announcers wondered about Fultz’s attitude when he laughed and joked during a 41-point blowout against UCLA in Seattle, while looking completely disinterested.
Fultz had “bust” written all over him ever since he set foot on a college court. He’s hasn’t been dominant and never was a difference maker. His demise in the NBA had been predicted by many of those who actually watched his college games.
Fultz went to University of Washington, not Washington University. 2000 mile difference
I knew this Fultz,Simmons, and Embiid experiment in Philly would fail. What makes us so sure Simmons re-signs with Philly? I’m starting to think he’ll sign with the Lakers.
As for the 2019 NBA Draft Zion Williamson will be better than LeBron James I’ll leave it at that.
No he won’t. He’s an undersized big, or a guard that can’t shoot
I thought Flavor Flav was dead…
Fultz is a bust. He sucks. His defense is pretty good. But offensively he is not good. You expect way more from a #1 pick. And passing on Tatum, wow!
They had no shot at Tatum. Ainge only traded the pick because he knew from Colangelo that the Sixers wanted Fultz. If the trade never occurred, the Celts get Tatum at #1. Colangelo got fleeced by Ainge. That simple. The Sixers ultimately surrendered two high first rounders for a stiff. Time to move on. It is what it is.
The Sixer faithful, myself excluded, want to hold on to some thread of hope that everything will be alright. Unfortunately, he is a stiff. It happens. Anthony Bennett. I cannot imagine a #1 pick being a lesser player. There were players drafted late in last years draft, Landry Shamet, that at least look competent on the floor. Not stars, but ball players. Fultz looks like a HS kid trying to impress older, much better players. Very sad.