SALT LAKE CITY – The Sixers traded up to secure Markelle Fultz in the 2017 NBA Draft. Boston traded down to pick Jayson Tatum. Now the two rookies will make their summer league debuts with their teams squaring off against one another.
Fultz is the second consecutive No. 1 overall pick for the Sixers who will make his debut at the Utah Jazz Summer League. He will see his first action in several months when Philadelphia faces Boston on Monday night (7 p.m. on CSN/CSNPhilly.com).
Even though he's facing a Celtics team that traded away the top pick instead of selecting him, Fultz is not focused on making a statement against Boston. He's thrilled to be with the Sixers and relishes the chance to simply get back on the court after a long absence.
"It's another chance to play basketball," Fultz said. "Now that it's my job it's even more important. I don't have to worry about going to class. I don't have to worry about anything like that. I just get to work on my game, get ready to go on the court and play."
A knee injury caused Fultz to miss six of his final eight games in his lone season with Washington. Now that his knee is at 100 percent, Fultz is eager to show what he can do on the court.
He is hyped to prove he can live up to the hype.
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"I haven't played 5-on-5 in a long time, so I know what it feels like not to play and I know what it feels like to play," Fultz said. "I'm just happy for this opportunity. I'm just ready to give my all."
The Sixers have plans to utilize Fultz's skills in a variety of ways. The 6-foot-4 rookie will see time at both guard spots, alternating at the point with Larry Drew II (see story). It may serve as a sneak peek for what could happen during the regular season when 2016 No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons could handle some ball-handling functions as a point forward.
Fultz is capable of doing plenty of damage off the ball. He was a relentless scorer at Washington, averaging 23.2 points on 47.6 percent shooting per game.
His versatility should serve the Sixers well going forward once he feels comfortable in their system.
"We just want to have him get his feet wet with our terminology, picking up our things offensively and defensively," Sixers assistant coach Kevin Young said. "The more comfortable he can get with that (now) sets him up well for the vet camp when we get started with that. We're just kind of going day by day and getting his feet wet."
When Fultz makes his debut against the Celtics, he'll be sporting a No. 7 jersey. Fultz picked that number for summer league because it's the one he wore with USA Basketball. He hasn't made a final decision on what number he will wear in the fall.
Not that it matters to Fultz. The only numbers he cares about are the same ones that generate success for the Sixers going forward.
"At the end of the day, a number doesn't matter to me," Fultz said. "It's what you do with the number. You can make history out of any number."
