Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz opens up about Phillly’s “hate”

Do you ever think back on the Philadelphia 76ers‘ decision to draft Markelle Fultz? About how he was supposed to #CompleteTheProcess, become Philly’s third homegrown star, and was such a can’t-miss fit that Bryan Colangelo traded an additional first-round pick to the dreaded Boston Celtics to get a deal done?

Fultz was supposed to be the perfect modern-day NBA guard. He was going to be the James Harden to Ben Simmons‘ Russell Westbrook and Joel Embiid‘s Kevin Durant – or something like that – and would unlock the offensive ceiling of a Brett Brown team stocked with quality complementary pieces acquired via free agency, the trade, and ‘The Process.’

Instead, the Washington Huskie hurt his shoulder, appeared in 36 games with 15 starts, and ultimately took a leave from the team before being traded to the Orlando Magic as a cost-saving measure to free up free agency money and acquire the pick eventually used to draft Tyrese Maxey.

All in all, not too shabby, even if the decision to let Jimmy Butler leave will go down as one of the biggest “What ifs” in franchise history.

However, there’s one aspect of the whole Markelle Fultz era of Philadelphia 76ers basketball that has been consistently misconstrued by folks outside of the City of Brotherly Love; an aspect that the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft cleared up with an appearance on “The Rematch with Etan Thomas.”

Markelle Fultz holds no ill will towards the Philadelphia 76ers fanbase.

“I never felt like the fans treated me bad.”

With those… nine words, Markelle Fultz dashed about a thousand rumors, reports, and ill-informed tweets about how poorly Philadelphia 76ers fans treated their former first overall pick, many of which have been rehashed in the new light of a decidedly familiar situation surrounding Ben Simmons.

But wait, Fultz went on. Speaking with NBA player-turned-author/podcaster Etan Thomas, Fultz reminisced on how he received a standing ovation in his first game back with the team and how that Philly tough love fit right into his DMV roots.

Now granted, could some of Fultz’s feelings eased over the years, especially after signing a three-year, $50 million extension with the Orlando Magic? You know, I’m sure that certainly played a role in it, yeah, but you know what? I also just genuinely believe that playing for that particular Sixers team – 2019-20 specifically – probably played a massive role in Fultz’s development as a player, even if it didn’t quite show up on the court. He learned how to win, how to be a role player, and how veterans like Jimmy Butler prepare for games.

Once he actually arrived in Orlando and took the court for the Magic in the fall of 2019, Fultz gradually regained his confidence and became a far more consistent offensive contributor on the court. Sure, his outside shot was still sort of wack, but he at least took 1.9 per game, made them at a 26.7 percent clip, and he even recorded a triple-double with the Magic, marking his second such box score as a pro.

And you know what? After only making four 3s over the 2018-19 season, no one is going to complain about 36 makes the following year, even if the overall percentage was suboptimal by NBA standards.

In a perfect world, maybe Markelle Fultz would still call the City of Brotherly Love home. He’d be splitting point guard duties alongside Ben Simmons for a Brett Brown-led team with Jimmy Butler on the wings and Joel Embiid in the paint, and maybe, just maybe, the Philadelphia 76ers, not the Brooklyn Nets, would be the odds-on favorites to win the East. Instead, the Sixers have a really good, speedy young point guard by the name of Tyrese Maxey, three really nice wing shooters, and Joel “The Process” Embiid still holding things down the paint, with the potential to procure even more talent once Daryl Morey makes a deal to trade Ben Simmons. If there’s any luck, maybe that trade will turn out as advantageous as the one Elton Brand pulled off with the Orlando Magic to bring Maxey into the fray, as it’s worked out pretty darn well for all parties involved.