CAMDEN, N.J. — If Bryan Colangelo were to redo the 2017 NBA draft, he would select Markelle Fultz No. 1 again.
“We made the deal to put ourselves in the position to select the player we felt was the best fit for this team and this roster moving forward, and still feel that way,” the Sixers' president of basketball operations said Friday.
Last summer the Sixers traded the third pick and a conditional future first-round pick to the Celtics in order to land Fultz, who was the consensus top pick as a freshman out of Washington. Boston drafted Jayson Tatum.
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The two rookies could not have had more different debut campaigns. Fultz was sidelined by a shoulder injury for the majority of the season. He returned in late March after missing 68 games, recorded a triple-double in the regular-season finale and then played only 23 minutes over the first three playoff games. Fultz did not play in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which Colangelo said is not a reflection of his future role.
Tatum started all 80 of his games for the Celtics and was their third-leading scorer during the regular season. He averaged 23.6 points against the Sixers in the second round.
The contrast between Tatum’s production on the court and Fultz’s time on the bench was a hot topic during the five-game series.
"Jayson is a great talent," Colangelo said. "I'm really proud of what he's done. He was very high on our board. But when you make a deal and you move forward, you do it with purpose and you do it with reason. We had our reasons why we moved forward with that. I'm very complimentary about Jayson Tatum and what he's been able to accomplish.
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"Deals are judged immediately all the time. We live in that world and I understand that and it's easy to draw that conclusion. But our future is our future and Markelle's future is bright.”
The Sixers are not turning their backs on Fultz after a rocky rookie year. They are considering him as a contributor as they make their offseason roster plans. Colangelo noted improvements in Fultz’s development from the start to the end of the season, including finishing at the rim, athleticism and preparation for the NBA.
“I think he was a consensus No. 1 pick for a reason,” Colangelo said. “He was the player that we traded up for with the future in mind as the best fit for this organization.”
Fultz may participate in summer league this July.