The Philadelphia 76ers will be a playoff team in 2018. There are several reasons for this. For one, they play in the East, where the No. 8 seed has averaged 40 wins over the last five seasons, and also because they didn't add just Markelle Fultz as the No. 1 pick this season, but they will be getting former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons back to start next season.
It's probably logical for 76ers to win 10-12 more games with those players on the court, and in Fultz's introductory news conference Friday afternoon he was the first one to say that he fully believes the Sixers can make it to the postseason: "I am serious when I say that. That is not just me talking because I am a player. I really think that we can be a [playoff team]."
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Fultz with the top pick Thursday night at Barclays Center, doing so less than a week after acquiring the pick from the Boston Celtics.
The Los Angeles Lakers took UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick.
Fultz, the former Washington point guard, averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 25 games in his only collegiate season. Fultz shot 47.6 percent from the field, made 41.3 percent of his 3-point attempts, reached double figures 24 times and set a school record for points by a freshman with 579.
The performance at Washington capped a meteoric rise on the amateur level for Fultz. Cut from the varsity team as a sophomore at DeMatha Catholic High School in 2013 because he was only 5-foot-9, Fultz dominated opponents on the junior varsity level then continued his stellar performances in his final two years at high school.
When Fultz was cut from the high school team, the Celtics recently acquired the pick from the Brooklyn Nets in July 2013. The Celtics were looking to rebuild after six seasons with Kevin Garnett paired with Paul Pierce and the Nets were looking to win instantly in their second season in Brooklyn.
Neither side anticipated the deal would become so lopsided in favor of the Celtics but the Nets posted the league’s worst record last season, setting in motion the chain of events leading Fultz to become a 76er.
Fultz was all set to become a Celtic but on Monday the pick was officially dealt to Philadelphia. The deal was first reported on Saturday and when it was apparent the trade was going to occur, Fultz quickly worked out for the 76ers.
Now Fultz officially is a member of the 76ers and the latest young piece in a rebuilding plan dubbed by former GM Sam Hinkie as “the process.”
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