Markelle Fultz

[MotownMadness]

Is he going to bust? Already changed his jump shot form, if he struggles to shoot that's a huge problem with average explosiveness and questionable body language

Doubt he's a bust as he's clearly a smooth offensive player but there could be legit motor concerns that could hold him from reaching his full potential.

[Duke4life831]

Is he going to bust? Already changed his jump shot form, if he struggles to shoot that's a huge problem with average explosiveness and questionable body language

I think its way too early to tell. Now I definitely wasnt the biggest Fultz fan to begin with, I never thought he was going to be this superstar that many tried to make him out to be. Ive always questioned his 3pt shot and his explosiveness. He is definitely big for a PG but I think his foot speed could actually be considered slow for a PG, add in his bad defense, I never saw superstar from him. I think with his craftiness and mid range ability I think he can be a good scoring PG with okay efficiency.

But its still way to early to tell. The dude is still just 19 and if that jumper does stay consistent the dude can definitely become a legit scoring threat in this league.

[Dr Positivity]

The article on his shooting I alluded to http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/markelle-fultz-jump-shot-sixers-76ers-brett-brown-concerns-20171002.html

[LloydFree]

His shooting is the last thing I'm worried about. It is still beyond me that a player with such a lack of explosion and so many average tools was considered the consensus #1. Didn't see it all season and can't see it now.

[HoopsMalone]

His shooting is the last thing I'm worried about. It is still beyond me that a player with such a lack of explosion and so many average tools was considered the consensus #1. Didn't see it all season and can't see it now.

Agreed. First of all Ball just led the most efficient NCAA offense of all-time. And he's a guy who will make other better, has NBA range, can rebound, and has size.

Fultz on the other hand just looks like a completely average lottery player. It's alarming how horrible Washington's offense was. He has the size to become a good defender, but it's no certainty. He lacks the speed to really excel at the PG spot and he's not a very gifted passer.

I think he actually fits pretty well for Philly because he can shoot and play off the ball. But I will never understand them trading an additional top draft choice just to move up and select him when there were was so much talent available at #3 already.

I realize they wanted a PG, but I think they really reached in this situation. If Fultz had slipped to #3 it would have been one thing... but if Tatum/Jackson/Fox end up being good and Fultz isn't... and that Lakers pick nets a guy like Doncic.....ew...

I really think Philly has screwed themselves by firing Hinkie.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

Going through the last few pages, I just want to remind you that the best finisher (by a pretty wide margin) at the PG position of the last 25 years or so is not big, is not a freakish athlete and he did it through spin moves and body control.

[ItsThatEasy]

I can't believe I was arguing with guys on here a year ago that Fultz was not as athletic as Dwyane Wade.

I hate to beat a dead horse but I still don't understand how someone could possibly see Fultz as that being on that tier of athlete.

[reanimator]

Yikes, imagine beating your chest after 1 preseason game....

[Mulhollanddrive]

Narrative seems to be he's not a great athlete and can't shoot.

But he was 50% from 2 and 40% from 3 with opposition defense honed into him.

64% FT is a concern though which may point to a hitch in shooting form and mental makeup will come into play at some stage.

[916fan]

James Harden isn't a good athlete, but he's a top 5 player. Harden has a quick first step, but he uses his ball handling and savyness. Same could be for Fultz.

The only things I ever questioned about Fultz is his FTAs and demeanor.

[Tiny ball]

His shooting is the last thing I'm worried about. It is still beyond me that a player with such a lack of explosion and so many average tools was considered the consensus #1. Didn't see it all season and can't see it now.

Agreed. First of all Ball just led the most efficient NCAA offense of all-time. And he's a guy who will make other better, has NBA range, can rebound, and has size.

Fultz on the other hand just looks like a completely average lottery player. It's alarming how horrible Washington's offense was. He has the size to become a good defender, but it's no certainty. He lacks the speed to really excel at the PG spot and he's not a very gifted passer.

I think he actually fits pretty well for Philly because he can shoot and play off the ball. But I will never understand them trading an additional top draft choice just to move up and select him when there were was so much talent available at #3 already.

I realize they wanted a PG, but I think they really reached in this situation. If Fultz had slipped to #3 it would have been one thing... but if Tatum/Jackson/Fox end up being good and Fultz isn't... and that Lakers pick nets a guy like Doncic.....ew...

I really think Philly has screwed themselves by firing Hinkie.

I liked Hink just think he needed better scouting training and medical staff.

[reanimator]

My biggest take away so far is he has absolutely no confidence in his pull up since the Sixers decided to change his form.

Had some impressive ambidextrous finishes early but that spin move is telegraphed. Making the right passes but on-ball D leaves a lot to be desired.

[Kool_Name_Right]

I've been a big fan of Fultz but he doesn't seem to have an elite first step, his foot-speed looks average and the whole adjusting his shot seemed unnecessary.

He looks like a project but his potential upside has always been his selling point.

[mattg]

Drastically changing a players shooting form is usually a really dumb move at this stage. Can't remember a team trying to change someone who wasn't already a bad shooter by any means and having it pay dividends. Not sure what the plan is there considering his mid range pull up was excellent before and now it looks butchered.

Otherwise I mean I don't remember anyone calling Fultz a freak athlete at all? People would say he's smooth, has good body control/coordination/agility, but no one ever called him explosive or an insane athlete from what I recall. Similar to Randy Foye somewhat, though I think Fultz is a bit more fluid.

[nolang1]

Yeah, the main context in which Wade came up was in response to people questioning whether Fultz was a 1 or 2; players such as Wade, Harden, and Brandon Roy have been the primary ballhandler for devastatingly effective offenses despite scoring more that what one would expect from a "pure point guard," which makes the question largely irrelevant.

Then one or two people became fixated on 18-year-old Fultz being not nearly as athletic as prime Wade when it should have gone without saying that a player who's a threat to make three-pointers off the dribble and has a good handle/change of pace doesn't need to be one of the 5 best athletes in the league (which again is a very meaningless descriptor as most people who said he's not an 'elite' athlete were simply saying he's not as athletic as players like Wall, Westbrook, and peak Wade and Rose. There's a lot of room between being in the next tier after those guys and being like Kendall Marshall) in order to get to the basket at a decent clip.

Anyhow the shooting form (allegedly due to a shoulder injury) is certainly weird to this point; I'm interested to see what happens if/when teams dare him to shoot from the outside because he's been able to get to the basket and make some nice finishes so far with teams still playing him as a threat from outside. Defensively he hasn't been as lost as I thought he'd be so far. Obviously he's still getting used to the speed of the game as any young rookie would be, but he's at least been competent enough that opposing teams aren't picking on him and has been doing a good job of not getting beaten backdoor or blowing too many rotations.

[ItsThatEasy]

James Harden isn't a good athlete, but he's a top 5 player. Harden has a quick first step, but he uses his ball handling and savyness. Same could be for Fultz.

The only things I ever questioned about Fultz is his FTAs and demeanor.

The notion that Harden isn't a great athlete is laughable.

He has great speed with the ball in hands (a very special athletic trait), his core and lower body strength are top tier, his balance is elite and his vertical ability is above average.

[GimmeDat]

James Harden isn't a good athlete, but he's a top 5 player. Harden has a quick first step, but he uses his ball handling and savyness. Same could be for Fultz.

The only things I ever questioned about Fultz is his FTAs and demeanor.

The notion that Harden isn't a great athlete is laughable.

He has great speed with the ball in hands (a very special athletic trait), his core and lower body strength are top tier, his balance is elite and his vertical ability is above average.

A better way to look at it is that Harden doesn't play 'above the rim'. 'Isn't a good athlete' is a way too broad and inaccurate statement.

[nolang1]

James Harden isn't a good athlete, but he's a top 5 player. Harden has a quick first step, but he uses his ball handling and savyness. Same could be for Fultz.

The only things I ever questioned about Fultz is his FTAs and demeanor.

The notion that Harden isn't a great athlete is laughable.

He has great speed with the ball in hands (a very special athletic trait), his core and lower body strength are top tier, his balance is elite and his vertical ability is above average.

A better way to look at it is that Harden doesn't play 'above the rim'. 'Isn't a good athlete' is a way too broad and inaccurate statement.

And even 'gets above the rim' is a largely empty term if the player is lacking in those other athletic traits and as such needs an absolutely clear runway to get above the rim in the first place (see: Zach LaVine).

[ItsThatEasy]

James Harden isn't a good athlete, but he's a top 5 player. Harden has a quick first step, but he uses his ball handling and savyness. Same could be for Fultz.

The only things I ever questioned about Fultz is his FTAs and demeanor.

The notion that Harden isn't a great athlete is laughable.

He has great speed with the ball in hands (a very special athletic trait), his core and lower body strength are top tier, his balance is elite and his vertical ability is above average.

A better way to look at it is that Harden doesn't play 'above the rim'. 'Isn't a good athlete' is a way too broad and inaccurate statement.

I just don't understand how anyone could call Harden unathletic. He's an absolute bull with the ball in his hands. I've guarded the guy a few times at the Drew League, impossible to move him and he's fast. Not "deceptively fast" either, just fast.

[916fan]

The notion that Harden isn't a great athlete is laughable.

He has great speed with the ball in hands (a very special athletic trait), his core and lower body strength are top tier, his balance is elite and his vertical ability is above average.

A better way to look at it is that Harden doesn't play 'above the rim'. 'Isn't a good athlete' is a way too broad and inaccurate statement.

I just don't understand how anyone could call Harden unathletic. He's an absolute bull with the ball in his hands. I've guarded the guy a few times at the Drew League, impossible to move him and he's fast. Not "deceptively fast" either, just fast.

No one called him unathletic. I don't think he's quick on-ball. He relies on his 1st step and dribble moves more than his overall speed, acceleration, and burst. He doesn't get a good shift when changing directions either.

He's one of the most physical players despite getting the soft label. People underrate how much of his game revolves around his big body and strength. In some of his drives, he uses his body to shield off defenders while driving, instead of relying on pure quickness. I think Harden is an above average athlete, but I wouldn't say he's a good one.

I don't think vertical=quickness alone. Steph isn't much of a vertical leaper, but he's still one of the most athletic players in the NBA. On the contrary, Grayson Allen is a great vertical leaper with some explosion, but he's probably a slightly-below average to average athlete because of he lacks the other stuff. A good athletic SG would be DeMar DeRozan for me.

My entire point was that you don't need to be a great or even good athlete to excel in the NBA. There's lots of players who aren't good athletes but are still good in the NBA. If you guys disagree with me on Harden, there's still Devin Booker, Klay Thompson, Malcom Brogdon, etc.