Post by Admin on May 11, 2018 23:00:55 GMT -5
76ers GM doesn't regret trading up, drafting Markelle Fultz instead of Jayson Tatum By Tom Westerholm
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The 2017 NBA Draft will give fans enough what-if scenarios to last a decade, but perhaps the biggest will be the Philadelphia 76ers' decision to trade the No. 3 pick and a valuable protected first to the Boston Celtics in order to draft Markelle Fultz instead of Jayson Tatum.
The decision was thrown into sharper relief during the postseason, when Fultz spent the entire Eastern Conference semifinals on the bench while Tatum led the Celtics in scoring. The what-if torturing Sixers fans right now: What if the Sixers had taken Tatum and paired him with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons? A young core of Tatum, Simmons and Embiid would look unbelievably threatening in the Eastern Conference.
Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo, however, says he doesn't regret his decision.
Four quick notes:
1) At the time of the draft, Fultz was the presumptive No. 1 pick, and his skill set perfectly fit what the Sixers needed. He was supposed to be an on- and off-ball threat who could play alongside Ben Simmons, hitting 3-pointers and attacking pick-and-rolls off the bounce. Tatum wasn't even guaranteed to go in the top three -- many big boards preferred Phoenix Suns forward Josh Jackson. A fully realized Markelle Fultz made perfect sense for the Sixers as a top overall pick. Nobody (besides Danny Ainge, apparently) could have predicted what happened to his jumper.
2) The Celtics were going to take Tatum first. The only way the Sixers could have gotten him would have been pump-faking the Celtics by trading up to take Fultz, then taking Tatum (which would have been an even more wild scene).
3) Colangelo certainly wasn't going to say the opposite. Clearly, he wants his young core to believe in themselves, and Fultz already seems to have confidence issues in his shot. Just imagine how crazy it would have been to hear a GM say, "Yeah, we still like Markelle, but we really whiffed on Jayson. Who knew?"
4) It's too early to write off Fultz, who is only 19 years old. Still, the Celtics got Tatum and what will likely be a high lottery pick either this year or next year. Early returns on the trade are ... not promising for Philadelphia.
www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2018/05/philadelphia_76ers_gm_doesnt_r.html#incart_river_index
