Philadelphia 76ers: Is Markelle Fultz the next Victor Oladipo?

While Markelle Fultz’s absence can be frustrating at times, with patience he could become the next Victor Oladipo for the Philadelphia 76ers.

When Victor Oladipo was selected second overall in the historically bad 2013 NBA Draft, many assumed that the Indiana guard had all of the skills needed to develop into an All-Star caliber player, but much like oft-injured Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz, his career didn’t start off smoothly.

An electrifying combo guard from an unlikely basketball school, many talent evaluators called Oladipo a “can’t miss prospect” who’s polished defensive game and promising prospects on the offensive end of the court compared favorably to James Harden (just like Fultz), but you would have never known it from his play in Orlando.

As a rookie, Oladipo appeared in 80 games for the Magic, with 44 starts, but struggled to transition his college game to the pros, a trend that continued throughout his tenure in the Sunshine State.

Though his numbers in Orlando weren’t terrible, averaging 15.9 points and four assists in 33 minutes a game over three seasons, his 33 percent three-point shooting left much to be desired, made many fans wonder if the former Hoosier would ever truly become the face of the Magic’s franchise in the same way that Penny Hardaway had been two decades prior.

The Magic too must have been concerned about Oladipo’s potential, as they ultimately decided to cut their losses and trade the fourth year guard to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with future-Sixer Ersan Ilyasova and Domantas Sabonis for versatile forward Serge Ibaka before his contract season.

While some assumed that a change of scenery could help Oladipo develop into a perfect backcourt mate for All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, the Hoosier’s production remained largely the same, averaging the same 15.9 points in 33 minutes of action a night, but now averaging almost two fewer assists. Now sure, some may chock that up to Westbrooks one-man quest to average a triple-double over a season, but it became clear that if OKC was going to compete for a title, they needed more stars, and that made Oladipo expendable.

With Paul George all but confirming that he would not resign with the Indiana Pacers, the team’s new GM Kevin Pritchard made an incredibly risky move and swapped the disgruntled All-Star to the Thunder for Oladipo and Sabonis, a move that put the former second overall pick on his third team in as many seasons.

And just like that, Oladipo became a star.

Seriously, after signing a good-faith extension with his new squad to remain close to his college alma mater, Oladpio seemingly blossomed overnight into one of the league’s best young shooting guards as the Pacers’ primary offensive option. Now playing loose and confident, Oladipo has been putting up career-high numbers, averaging over 24 points a night, while hitting almost 39 percent of his three-point shots in route to his first ever All-Star appearance.

At only 25 years old, Oladipo finally looks like a player who can become the face of a franchise, and he still hasn’t reached his prime. Though only time will tell how good Oladipo can become, it’s safe to say that his days of being called a bust are firmly behind him.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Fultz future with the Philadelphia 76ers

While all of this is great for Oladpio, what does it have to do with Markelle Fultz you may ask?

Well, Fultz and Oladipo actually have a lot in common.

Both players grew up in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with Fultz and Oladipo actually playing their high school ball at the same school, DeMatha, before moving on to play their college ball at unconventional schools. And while neither player was considered a blue chip, franchise caliber player like Ben Simmons, the duo both seemed destined to become fantastic NBA combo guards.

Bryan Colangelo was so confident in Fultz’s fit with Brett Brown‘s roster that he actually traded away two incredibly high-value draft picks for the rights to the young Huskie.

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But much like Oladpo’s time in Orlando, Fultz’s transition into the pros hasn’t gone as smoothly as many had hoped.

After playing fairly well in the Summer League, Fultz suffered a shoulder injury that has all but destroyed his jump shot and limited the 19-year-old guard to only four games in 2017.

This nagging shoulder injury, when coupled with conflicting reports about Fultz struggling with the mental aspects of the game, has some fans wondering if the 76ers played their hand too early, and wasted an opportunity to establish one of the league’s best young trios.

And to be fair, those concerns are understandable.

When any casual basketball fan can flip through the channels and catch young NBA players like Kyle Kuzma, Dennis Smith Jr, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum routinely performing feats of wonder on their respective teams, it’s incredibly frustrating to imagine just how much better the 76ers would be had they bypassed Fultz in the draft. Even the idea of adding a player like Tyreke Evans at the trade deadline, a player who, for the most part, has underperformed as a pro after being named Rookie of the Year in 2010, gave many fans hope that the Sixers could finally take that next step and not only make the playoffs, but do so as a fourth or fifth seed.

And while adding another scorer to the NBA’s fifth-worst scoring bench would likely catapult the team into serious playoff contention, it would be incredibly short-sighted to do so at the expense of Fultz.

Much like Oladipo before him, Fultz still has all of the tools to become an All-Star caliber guard, with a smooth outside shot, an athletic build and the ability to score from all three levels of the court, he just needs to regain his confidence.

When Oladpio was traded to Indiana and locked into a new four year, $84 million contract, it cemented into the young guard’s mind that his new team believed in him, and was fully committed to his development, regardless of any struggles. And because of that commitment, the Pacers have actually been better in 2017-2018 than they were when they had George and could continue to ascend up the NBA ranks with each passing season.

While it may be frustrating to watch Fultz sit on the bench game after game, it would be even worse to watch him light the Sixers up in a few years in a different uniform, something Colangelo and company are all too aware of.

Though I doubt Fultz possesses the silky smooth R&B falsetto of Oladipo, our Chick-fil-A loving Delmarva native deserves to have every chance to develop into the player he has the potential to become without having to constantly look over is his shoulder.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers: Get to know new Sixer Marco Belinelli

All rookies are going to make mistakes, and while it may be frustrating at times to watch other teams get immediate contributions from their first-year players, Fultz’s upside is worth waiting for.