CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) – The Philadelphia 76ers have put The Process in the hands of Washington guard Markelle Fultz.
Fultz, the 6-foot-4 guard, was selected No. 1 overall in the NBA draft Thursday night and joined former LSU guard Ben Simmons as consecutive top picks for the Sixers.
Widely reviled and also admired, the Sixers’ plan to go from worst-to-first by openly stripping the roster bare of talent to lose and gobble draft picks has resulted in Joel Embiid, Simmons and now Fultz.
Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 25 games during his lone college season at Washington, excelling on a team that finished 9-22 and lost its final 13 games. Fultz led the Pac-12 in scoring, finished No. 6 among all Division I players, and was the top freshman scorer in the country.
Fultz, often compared to Houston’s James Harden, missed Washington’s final four games, capped by a Pac-12 Tournament loss to Southern California.