Tag: Markelle Fultz

Where does Lonzo Ball’s rating rank in among other players in NBA 2K21?

Lonzo Ball’s rating in NBA 2K21 is at a personal low for him but where does it rank relative to the rest of the league?

Friday’s release of NBA 2K21 brought with a wide mixing range of reactions to the ratings. Josh Hart expressed some anger to one specific rating while Lonzo Ball’s 77 rating, the lowest of his career, came as quite a surprise.

Ratings in 2K, though, are entirely relative. Some context is gained by looking at the rest of the Pelicans. Ball comes in as the fifth highest-rated player on the team with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson both receiving 86 ratings to lead the team. Jrue Holiday holds an 83 rating and JJ Redick a 78. Derrick Favors also has a 77 rating.

When looking at other guards who are also rated 77, there’s a mixed bag of comparisons. Alec Burks of the Sixers and Elfrid Payton of the Blazers both are 77s as is Coby White of Chicago, Jalen Brunson of the Mavericks and Gary Trent, Jr. of the Blazers.

Ball’s 2017 draft class has had some mixed returns. The No. 1 pick in Markelle Fultz, now in Orlando, has had a winding story in the league but the 2019-20 season saw him bounce back to a regular contributor for the Magic, leading to a 77 rating as well. Boston’s Jayson Tatum, the star of the class, holds an 89 rating while Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox has an 85 rating and Memphis’ Josh Jackson a 73 rating to round out the top five picks.

Ball is one of a host of former Lakers that have been moved around the league as Los Angeles pieced together a team led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Ball and Ingram’s teammate Josh Hart has a 75 rating while Utah’s Jordan Clarkson, a teammate of Ball’s for half a season, is rated 78. New York’s Julius Randle, who spent one season with Ball, is rated an 80 while Washington’s Thomas Bryant, who was released in the summer of 2019, is rated a 79. D’Angelo Russell is the standout former Laker in Minnesota with an 84 rating.

Ball is one of the top players in the league from UCLA, though. Houston’s Russell Westbrook is the top at 88 while Chicago’s Zach Lavine is an 85. Holiday, as mentioned, is 83-rated, Kevin Love is 82-rated with the Cavaliers and Norman Powell is 77-rated with the Raptors.

When it comes to specific attributes, Ball’s highest is his 90-rated pass perception. That ranks tied for 13th in the league with Tatum, Jae Crowder, Andre Drummond and Corey Brewer. Ball’s pass IQ is 89, ranking in a tie for 20th in the league with the likes of Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving, among others. His 88 pass accuracy ranks him in a tie for 11th, again matching Irving’s rating along with multiple others.

While the specifics of Ball’s attributes may be generally on the right track, it’s hard to rationalize the drop in rating give his increase in production this season. Then again, it’s a video game where you can basically change any rating you want.

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Former Sixers in the playoffs: Markelle Fultz performed well for Magic

We take a look at former Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz in the playoffs for the Orlando Magic.

The Philadelphia 76ers were kicked out of the bubble rather quickly after being bounced in Round 1 by the Boston Celtics so we’re going to take a look at former Sixers also in the playoffs.

One former Sixer that is always on the mind of the fanbase is former number 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz. After a disappointing Sixers career, Philadelphia dealt Fultz to the Orlando Magic at the 2019 trade deadline and in his first season in Orlando, Fultz made some strides.

He started 60 games in the regular season and then started all five games in the playoffs for the Magic. In the playoffs, he averaged 12.0 points, 5.2 assists, and he shot 37.5% from deep. He helped the Magic shock the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 as Orlando took the 1-0 lead, but the Bucks won four straight to eliminate them.

Fultz may not have the been big difference-maker the Sixers needed against the Celtics, but his ability to put the ball on the floor and create would have certainly helped. However, he probably would not have developed like this if he had stayed in Philadelphia due to his need for having the ball in his hands and the Sixers were running Ben Simmons at the point guard spot. [lawrence-related id=37404,37401,37395]

Former Sixers guard Markelle Fultz helps Magic shock Bucks in Game 1

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz had himself a solid playoff game for the Orlando Magic.

When a team makes a big trade like the Philadelphia 76ers did when they sent former number 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz to the Orlando Magic at the 2019 deadline, it is always interesting to follow that player and see how he responds to being traded.

On Tuesday, Fultz made the first playoff start of his NBA career and he helped the 8 seed Magic shock the 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks 122-110. Fultz’s final stat line was 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting while knocking one down from deep and he had six assists. He started the game shooing 4-for-4 while taking on the vaunted Bucks defense.

Fultz would not have worked out in Philadelphia due to the fact that he needed the ball in his hands and at the time, the Sixers had Ben Simmons as their point guard–he is now their power forward. For a kid so young and having gone through so much adversity, it is good to see him play well in his first playoff start.

The Sixers will look to win a playoff game of their own on Wednesday when they move on to Game 2 against the Boston Celtics. [lawrence-related id=36941,36937,36933]

Sixers vs. Magic preview: Sixers attempt to move on without Ben Simmons

The Philadelphia 76ers face the Orlando Magic while missing Ben Simmons inside the bubble.

The Philadelphia 76ers continue life inside the bubble as they look to win their third in a row on Friday when they take on the Orlando Magic. The Sixers will have to do so without one of the game’s brightest stars in Ben Simmons who is out with a subluxation in his left knee.

The Magic are dealing with injuries of their own as they are missing Jonathan Isaac and possibly Aaron Gordon in this matchup. So while the Sixers are obviously shorthanded, Orlando will be missing at least one and possibly two of their main contributors in this one.

With that said, let’s get into the game preview in this one:

How to watch Sixers vs. Magic

  • Date: Friday, August 7
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
  • Location: HP Field House Orlando, FL
  • TV: TNT, NBC Sports Philadelphia+

Injury Report

  • Sixers: OUT: Ben Simmons (left patella subluxation) DOUBTFUL: Glenn Robinson III (left hip pointer) QUESTIONABLE: Mike Scott (right knee soreness)
  • Magic: OUT: Jonathan Isaac (left torn ACL) DOUBTFUL: Aaron Gordon (left hamstring strain) QUESTIONABLE: Michael Carter-Williams (left foot strained tendon)

Storylines

Brown disappointed for Simmons

Coach Brett Brown has gone down this injury road before. He has experienced devastating injuries to multiple players during his long tenure as coach of the Sixers, but at some point, there can only be so much one man can take. Brown certainly did not hold back any emotions of frustrations when he found out the news about his All-Star forward especially after all the work he put in to prepare for this chance after the back injury he had in February.

“I was with him last night. We had an organization dinner,” Brown added. “There’s clearly disappointment because I don’t know if anybody really understood what he did to get ready to come play basketball again. He really invested time, he really was diligent during the whole pandemic about recovery and rehab and strength and conditioning and it’s monotonous some of the smaller things that he had to do to add up to be able to play NBA basketball again.”

More responsibility on Embiid

The Sixers are blessed to have not one, but two young All-Stars as this is now Joel Embiid’s time to step into the limelight and show just how valuable he really is. The big fella has had a terrific start to the restart and he now has even more responsibility thrust on his shoulders without Simmons.

“Offensively, he needs to get as many touches as we can give him,” Brown added. “I think that one of the areas of most noticeable growth is what’s he been doing passing out of the post. It’s probably the single thing that stands out most to me, offensively whether it’s Jo or just us as a team, I like our post spacing. I like Jo’s unselfishness, quarterbacking gyms, his ability to read where the double teams are coming from I think has been shown.”

Prediction

The Magic have had Philadelphia’s number in recent matchups. Nikola Vucevic is always a tough matchup and Markelle Fultz is an athletic guard out on the perimeter. However, even without Simmons, this is a game the Sixers should win. Philadelphia will have to lean even more on Embiid and Horford to get the job done, but it’s a game the Sixers should seriously come away with.

Pick: Sixers are listed as the home team in this one. They don’t lose home games.

Sixers vs. Magic season series

November 13: 112-97 Magic

December 27: 98-97 Magic

August 7:

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Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz react to Matisse Thybulle’s poster slam

Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz react to Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle’s dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies.

As the Philadelphia 76ers get back at it in Orlando, there are a few changes to their world on the floor. In their 90-83 scrimmage opening win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, there was a big difference to their lineup. Shake Milton is moving into the starting lineup, Ben Simmons is moving over to the power forward spot, and Al Horford is coming off the bench.

What nobody expected though was rookie Matisse Thybulle putting somebody on an absolute poster.

Thybulle took a pass from Alec Burks and he went flying down the lane and slammed it home over Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. This was nothing new for Simmons who said that the rookie has become more vocal and aggressive in practice.

“He’s getting better. He actually was talking [expletive] to me the other day in practice so I love to see that side of him,” Simmons said. “People usually think Matisse is very calm and to himself in a nice matter, but when he was on the court the other day, he was actually talking a lot to me which you love to see. Guys getting confident and finding their own and the way he was attacking the rim, he’s only going to get stronger and better. To see him come down that lane like that and dunk on somebody who’s also very athletic is a good sign for me.”

The dunk was so ferocious that it also caught the eye of former Sixers guard and current Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz. The former number 1 overall pick couldn’t believe what he just saw.

The Sixers will continue their scrimmage schedule on Sunday when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. It will give Brown and the rest of the team another chance to get used to the many changes on their roster. [lawrence-related id=35406,35388,35364]

Markelle Fultz ranked as the 18th best number 1 pick made since 2000

Former Philadelphia 76ers pick Markelle Fultz has been ranked as the 18th best number 1 pick since 2000.

The Philadelphia 76ers made an ambitious trade before the 2017 NBA Draft when they swapped their number 3 pick with the Boston Celtics to move up and have the right to select first overall in the draft. They had their eyes set on an athletic point guard from Washington who they believed was the final piece to the puzzle.

They selected Markelle Fultz with that selection and it did not turn out to be what they envisioned. Fultz was marred by a nasty shoulder injury and he played a grand total of 33 games in 1.5 seasons in Philadelphia before being sent to the Orlando Magic at the deadline. He ended up averaging 7.7 points and 3.4 assists with the Sixers.

A ranking done by Bleacher Report has ranked Fultz as just the 18th best number 1 pick made since 2000. So that is 18 out of 20 players ranked as he was ahead of only 2001 pick Kwame Brown and 2013 pick Anthony Bennett.

B/R on Fultz:

There simply isn’t enough space here to decipher the mystery surrounding his shoulder, headspace and everything else that happened when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers, but plenty of outlets have attempted to lay out the timeline.

In short, on the rare occasions he actually did play in Philly (where he only appeared in 33 games), he was not good. He had a well-below-replacement-level BPM there, and he shot just 41.4 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three.

Fultz is currently averaging 12.1 points and 5.2 assists as the starting point guard with the Magic as he is beginning to show some future potential, but at the moment, his overall career has been a disappointment. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to revive his career in Orlando. [lawrence-related id=33403,33384,33382]

Ranking every player drafted number 1 in Philadelphia 76ers history

We are ranking every number 1 pick made by the Philadelphia 76ers in draft history.

The number 1 pick in any particular draft carries a ton of weight to produce. After all, when you become the first player picked in a draft with 60 players looking to fulfill their NBA dream, you better show why you were selected at such a high position.

The Philadelphia 76ers have selected first overall in a draft four times in their history. They have hit big most of the time, but they have also missed on the pick as well. As we all await the NBA’s resumption of the 2019-20 season, we take this time to rank the four players the Sixers selected with the pick.

The list will be based on the criteria of individual accomplishments as well as team success during his career in Philadelphia. It also will be ranked in descending order. With that said, let’s get into this list!

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Chase Young and Markelle Fultz will be forever linked through competition

Young and Fultz played together at DeMatha High, and their competitive drive and relationship helped start promising professional careers.

Stories about the relationship between Washington Redskins DE Chase Young and Orlando Magic G Markelle Fultz are not new. Some of the details about how they pushed each other to be among the best in their draft class is telling of the character and determination that will hopefully take both far in his respective profession.

Fultz and Young grew up together, and they played sports together at school in Hyattsville, MD, and they pushed each other to be better. According to a story from ESPN’s John Keim, the two grew up within sight of each other, always competing in youth basketball leagues, but it wasn’t until high school at DeMatha where their bond really took root.

“It’s a mentality we had being young,” Fultz said, via ESPN. “We didn’t know where we’d be, but we both believed, with the work ethic and talent we had, that anything is possible, so why not set it to be that?”

From that point on, they pushed each other to be great, with targets set on being the No. 1 overall draft pick in their respective sports. Fultz succeeded in that goal, being drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers out of the University of Washington. Young, of course, was drafted No. 2 overall by the Redskins, though he was widely believed to be the most talented player in the draft.

“They really motivated each other,” said Young’s mother, Carla. “They knew their skill level and desire to be great and to keep each other accountable and keep pushing one another.”

To this day, the two still talk several times a week, and they continue to push each other to excel and become great on their own. Two stars in the making, forever linked by a connection at a young age.

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Drafting Markelle Fultz named worst Sixers move in recent history

The drafting of Markelle Fultz in 2017 was ranked as the worst move in recent history for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 2017 NBA Draft will go down as one of the more controversial drafts in Philadelphia 76ers history. They were beginning to make a move forward with a rookie Ben Simmons leading the way and Joel Embiid heading into his second season and they already held the third pick in the draft due to a trade that former general manager Sam Hinkie made.

However, they got greedy. They saw something in Washington product Markelle Fultz as they looked to add to their talented core. So, they made a trade with the Boston Celtics and moved up to the number 1 pick and they selected Fultz, but what ensued was something that nobody could have predicted.

He played in a grand total of 33 games and there was a lot of off the court issues that dogged him throughout his time in Philadelphia. Then, he was sent to the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline of 2019 and he was able to rejuvenate his career a bit.

However, the move for Philadelphia had a major impact as they could have had a guy like Jayson Tatum who is having a helluva start to his career with the Celtics. The move to trade up for Fultz is arguably the worst move in the franchise’s recent history as Bleacher Report put it:

While losing season after losing season resulted in some high draft picks, those picks weren’t guaranteed to hit. Taking Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick in 2015 stings, especially with players like Kristaps Porzingis and Devin Booker still available at that point.

But no player has caused as much frustration and disappointment among Philly fans as Markelle Fultz.

Fultz averaged only 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists over two injury-plagued years before the Sixers traded him to the Orlando Magic for Jonathon Simmons, a top-20 protected 2020 first-round pick and a 2019 second-round pick. Fultz is now averaging 12.1 points and 5.2 assists as Orlando’s starting point guard.

Fultz is having a solid season with the Magic, but his time in Philadelphia will be remembered as one of the most tumultuous eras in the history of the franchise. [lawrence-related id=32325,32317,32300]

2017 NBA re-draft: Sixers fix mistake, Jayson Taum over Markelle Fultz

In a re-draft from 2017, the Philadelphia 76ers select Jayson Tatum rather than Markelle Fultz.

The 2017 NBA Draft was an exciting time for the Philadelphia 76ers. They were coming off a season that brought the franchise some hope that the worst was over and that they could move forward in their rebuilding plan.

On top of that, they made a big trade with the Boston Celtics to move up and have the top pick in the draft. They had their eyes set on Washington product Markelle Fultz and they made the decision to roll with him with the first overall pick.

What ensued was one of the most bizarre tenures in history. From the shoulder injury to plenty of other off the court issues that made Fultz’s time in Philadelphia a disaster.

Meanwhile, the Celtics went with Jayson Tatum with the third pick, the pick the Sixers gave in order to move up, and Tatum has since blossomed into an All-Star. In a re-draft done by Bleacher Report, the Sixers correct that mistake.

B/R on Tatum:

Through two-plus years, Tatum was an undeniably promising two-way talent. He would have been in the top five of our re-draft if he’d only made marginal gains on the 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists he averaged in 2018-19, his age-20 season.

Now that he’s a hyperefficient three-point shooter, an ace ball-handler in the pick-and-roll and a legitimate high-usage, high-volume star who, incredibly, scrapped mid-rangers in favor of threes and layups on a whim, there’s only one draft slot for him: the first one.

Tatum ranks in the 92nd percentile in points per play on 5.8 possessions per game as a pick-and-roll ball-handler this season, up from the 72nd percentile on just 2.4 possessions per game in 2018-19. Among players who have attempted at least 200 pull-up threes on the season, only Damian Lillard (40.1 percent) is more accurate than Tatum (39.9 percent).

The Sixers are still a contender without Tatum, but imagine an efficient 3-point shooter next to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid–like they should have next to the star duo–rather than a guy who plays the same position as Simmons. The Fultz pick is not the worst draft decision made in franchise history, but it will go down as one of the worst. [lawrence-related id=30944,30923,30930]