Sixers-Celtics 5 players to watch: 1st look at Markelle Fultz

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The Sixers will kick off the Utah Summer League on Monday night with a game against the Celtics (7 p.m. on TCN/streaming on CSNPhilly.com). The roster is comprised of mostly rookies, including first pick Markelle Fultz, and players with one year of NBA experience. Only Aaron Harrison has played two years in the league. Here are five players to watch in Utah (the official Las Vegas schedule has yet to be announced). 

Markelle Fultz
The 2017 No. 1 overall pick will be one of the main attractions in summer league. Fultz will use summer league as a primer for what he has to learn about the NBA.
 
“How the refs call the calls, getting used to the style of play, getting used to the physicality, everything really,” Fultz said. 
 
Fultz, a point guard, will switch off between playing the one and the two with Larry Drew II (see story). His first game will be against the Celtics, the team that traded the first overall pick to the Sixers. 
 
“Just another team on the schedule,” Fultz said. “I'm definitely excited to play against them. Like I said, it's another opportunity for me to play a game of basketball, so I'm going to come out and give it my all just like I would any other game.”

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
One season of experience and 19 starts are enough to make Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot a “veteran” on the summer league team. Luwawu-Cabarrot is looking to build off the momentum he gained at the end of his rookie year when he earned the starting shooting guard role. 
 
“My understanding of basketball here is better (than last year),” Luwawu-Cabarrot said. “My shape, maybe, is better. I think everything’s better. My confidence is higher and everything is going well right now. My body feels good and my shooting is better, my passing ability is better, everything is better. And I have the experience of one year behind me, so I’m good.”
 
The Sixers agreed to sign two-guard JJ Redick in free agency, and Luwawu-Cabarrot could make a case to be the backup next season. The coaching staff has given him a to-do list of improvements for the summer. Luwawu-Cabarrot’s three-point shot was noticeably improved during three-point drills with Robert Covington and Joel Embiid after mini-camp last week. 
 
“I couldn’t tell you what the future will be, but what I can tell you is what he needs to do to become a better basketball player and that is just to continue to hunt three-point shots and be able to knock them down,” assistant coach and director of player development Billy Lange said. 
 
Jonah Bolden
Bolden was not a lock to play summer league after the Sixers drafted him with the 36th pick. He still is under contract with his team in Serbia but was determined to compete in front of the NBA audience.
 
“A lot of people deem me as the mystery kid in the draft,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove. Summer league is a great opportunity for that.”
 
Even though Bolden was a relatively high pick in the second round, there are a lot of people unfamiliar with his game. He only played one season at UCLA before turning pro overseas. Bolden participated in a pro day but no team-led workouts before the draft. The Sixers saw him play internationally this past season. 

Isaiah Miles
The St. Joe’s product is making another run at the NBA after playing a year in France. Miles signed a contract to play in Turkey next season but he could get out of it if he made an NBA roster. 
 
“I want to get invited to a training camp,” Miles said. “I want to, hopefully, make a roster. I have a different mindset coming into this year. I want to get further than I did last year.”
 
The Sixers are encouraging Miles to take long-range shots during summer league. At 6-foot-7, Miles sees his three-point game as an advantage at his position.
 
“I feel like that’s what gets me head and shoulders over the other bigs, that I shoot really well,” he said. “I see myself as an elite shooter.” 
 
Larry Drew II
Remember that name? Drew played 12 games for the Sixers during the 2014-15 season, his only stint in the NBA. Now he is back after competing overseas and in the G League. 
 
“I think my game has improved in a lot of areas,” Drew said. “I played in Europe for two years and I got to see the game from a different perspective. It added some things to my game that I didn’t have before, like a jump shot. I shoot the ball way better than I used to.”
 
The Sixers intend at times for Drew to play point guard while Fultz plays off the ball. Additionally, 27-year-old Drew looks to provide vocal leadership.
 
“I’m the oldest guy on the team by a couple years, which is still a weird feeling for me being the oldest now,” Drew said. “As far as leading, that just comes second nature to me. So I look forward to that opportunity and that challenge at the same time.”

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