In a recent episode of the Knuckleheads Podcast, former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz sat down with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles to talk about his basketball career from Washington to getting drafted by the Sixers, and now playing as a member of the Orlando Magic. 

Fultz, one of the many failed pieces of the 76ers “Process” talked about his time in Philadelphia saying that he feels like he could have helped the Sixers win if they were patient with him and allowed him to get healthy.

Markelle Fultz on Time in Philly

“I really feel like I could have helped them win if they were patient and let me get healthy.”

@libertylinephl the philadelphia 76ers gave up on markelle fultz too early. argue with your couch. #76ers #76ersbasketball #76ersfan #76ersfans #markellefultz #markellefultz4life #markellewasington #fultzfanboy #sixersnation #sixers #sixersbasketball #sixersfans #philadelphia76ers #philadelphia #philadephia #philly #southphilly #wellsfargocenter ♬ original sound – The Liberty Line

Honestly, that’s a great response from Fultz. I totally understand the city of Philadelphia, blood thirsty with the thought of having Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz playing together with multiple championship rings by now sent everyone down a “path of hate” towards Markelle, but that was somewhat misguided. 

Even the “hate” for Fultz was overblown from the start. The city of Philadelphia loved Fultz and wanted nothing more than to have him live up to the No. 1 overall draft pick we expected him to be.

The fact remained that Markelle Fultz was selected No. 1 overall and ultimately, couldn’t shoot a basketball during his time in Philadelphia.

Whether that had something to do with the reported motorcycle accident or whatever injury reason, that’s basically what the Sixers were stuck with and they weren’t wrong in drafting him.

On the other side of the equation, the Sixers were in “win-now” mode and already dealing with Simmons not progressing into the player they hoped he would be, all while attempting to grasp onto the “success of the process” and how Embiid and Simmons would deliver the city of Philadelphia to the promise land. 

The timetable for Fultz just didn’t fit into the (rushed) timetable of the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Now, at 25 years old, Fultz just finished a season where he played 60 games for the Orlando Magic last year and averaged 14 points per game with just under six assists and four rebounds per game. Those numbers came while averaging just 29 minutes per game on the floor for a young (bad) Magic team. 

He’s still not there yet, but has at the very least turned himself into a solid role player in the NBA while still having a bright future with major upside. 

It’s also important to note that when Fultz was traded to Orlando in 2019 for literally nothing in return, the Magic had no idea when he would return to the basketball court. 

It was a bizarre situation for everyone involved.

Personally, I would have loved to give Fultz a bit more time here in Philadelphia and at the very least, been able to see it through after whatever injuries were slowing him down. 

At the same time, the Sixers as an organization, really couldn’t and still can’t be trusted with developing young players and working through injuries.

They are literally the worst franchise in all of sports at handling those types of situations, so I’m not sure they were even capable of getting Fultz back on track in the first place. 

I’ll always have a spot for Fultz here in Philadelphia and hope that he continues to progress into the player we all expected him to be. It’s rare that a player leaves Philly and people still root for him to succeed. The fact that fans do that today with Fultz, tells you everything you need to know. 

Watch the Full Episode Here