Perspective needed after Fultz’s debut
OK, Sixers fans, take a deep breath and relax. No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz was solid in his Utah Jazz Summer League debut Monday night, but let’s not anoint him as the second coming just yet.
It’s way too early for that kind of talk. Remember, this is the summer league, not the NBA. Most of the players Fultz and the other Sixers faced in an 89-88 loss to the Celtics will not be on an NBA roster come the fall so you have to look at Fultz’s performance in that perspective.
His numbers were good and bad. On the plus side, Fultz did score a team-high 17 points, made 40 percent of his 3-point attempts (2-for-5) and blocked three shots. On the minus side, Fultz made just 37.5 percent of his attempts from the field (6for-16) had just one assist and four turnovers, and a plus-minus grade of minus-13.
Fultz dribbled into trouble
a few times, was beaten on the defensive end several times and his decision making wasn’t always the best. He looked more comfortable with the ball in his hands than he did off the ball, which was to be expected. Fultz is used to having the ball in his hands. It takes time to learn to play without it.
But that’s what the summer league, training camp and the preseason are for, a chance to learn and grow.
“He was very aggressive,” Sixers assistant coach Billy Lange said of Fultz after the game. “You can see what kind of shake-and-bake player he is. He’s on skates a lot. For not playing a competitive basketball game for a lot of months, I thought he did really well.”
That’s all you can hope for from a 19-yearold rookie who was playing high school basketball a little more than a year ago. He has a lot to learn so take what he does in the summer league with a grain of salt, but the opening signs were good.
“I think I did pretty good,” Fultz said. “I mean, it was my first game out
there. Get that under my belt. I had fun. I gave it my all so I’m good with my performance.”
“We are going away from this (satisfied),” Lange said. “It’s not a ‘W’ in terms of the outcome of the game, but it is a ‘W’ in terms of his growth and what we are trying to do as an organization.”
Saint Joseph’s grad Isaiah Miles made the most of his 15 minutes Monday night. The 6-7 forward scored 10 points, shot 4-for-5 overall, made both of his 3-point attempts and pulled down seven rebounds.
Second-round pick Jonah Bolden also was solid in his summer league debut. The 6-10, 235-pound forward from Australia showed an ability to run the floor and shoot the 3-pointer, which is a must in today’s NBA, even for big men.
“It’s one game so you can’t really go off too much,” Bolden said Tuesday. “But I think I’m adjusting well. It’s transition, running, we’re long and so that kind of fits my game. Last night was pretty good, offensively, I could’ve made more shots, but my focal point was to play hard and fight.”
The Sixers selected Bolden with the 36th pick in the June 22 draft, even
though he signed a twoyear deal 12 days earlier to play for Crvena zvezda in the Basketball League of Serbia. That contract does
have a buyout clause but he will most likely stay in Serbia for at league one more year.
Bolden has pro experience.
He averaged 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and shot 41.3 percent from 3-point range while playing for FMP Beograd of the Adriatic League last year.
••• Villanova grad Josh Hart put his signature on his first pro contract Monday. Terms were not released, but under the NBA’s rookie salary scale, Hart stands to make more than $5 million in the four-year deal. The first two years are guaranteed. The final two years come with a team option. Hart was the 30th player selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
Hart’s signing came two days after Saint Joseph’s grad Langston Galloway agreed to a threeyear, $21-million deal with the Detroit Pistons. The 6-2 guard has averaged 8.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 201 career games with the New York Knicks, New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings.
••• For many years, people have said Villanova coach Jay Wright wins without pros. Well, that’s not exactly true. Wright had five players on NBA rosters last season: Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye, Dante Cunningham, Darrun Hilliard
and Daniel Ochefu. He will have seven of his former players in the various NBA summer leagues this year, including five members of the 2016 national championship squad.
Hart will play for the Lakers in the Las Vegas Summer League, which begins later this week. Ochefu, forward Kris Jenkins and guard Maalik Wayns (2012) will play for the Washington Wizards in Las Vegas. Guard Ryan Arcidiacono is with the Chicago Bulls. Forward James Bell (2014) will play for the Los Angeles Clippers and forward Darryl Reynolds is with the Sixers.
Ochefu played in 19 games for the Wizards last season. Wayns has had two stints in the NBA, and has also played in the D-League, which is now the G-League, and overseas. Bell has played professionally in Italy, France and Israel. Arcidiacono played with the Austin Spurs in the DLeague last year.
Not all are in the NBA, but they’re still getting paid to play basketball and that makes them pros.