76ers select Markelle Fultz with No. 1 pick in 2017 NBA draft
Markelle Fultz was selected No. 1 in the NBA draft Thursday by the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers acquired the pick Sunday from the Boston Celtics in exchange for the No. 3 pick and a conditional first rounder in a future draft.
A 6'4" point guard out of Washington, Fultz established himself as the top prospect in this loaded draft class early in the college season. Despite the Huskies' lackluster 9-22 record, Fultz's season averages of 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds were good enough to keep him at the top of most draft boards.
Last year, Philadelphia selected LSU small forward Ben Simmons with the No. 1 selection. Simmons was forced to miss the entire season due to a Jones fracture in his foot suffered in October.
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Philadelphia's young core now features six lottery picks from the last four drafts. Along with Joel Embiid (No. 3 in 2014), Nik Stauskas (No. 8 in 2014), Dario Saric (No. 12 in 2014) and Jahlil Okafor (No. 3 in 2015), Fultz, Simmons and a few other young players like Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes will look to help coach Brett Brown take the next step in The Process.
