Philadelphia plans big role for top pick in shifting 'The Process' into overdrive

NEW YORK - The Philadelphia 76ers have put 'The Process' in the hands of point guard Markelle Fultz.

The 6-foot-4 Fultz was selected No 1 overall in Thursday's NBA draft, joining 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.

Markelle Fultz smiles for a selfie with a television commentator after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the No 1 overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft in New York. Frank Franklin II / AP

Embiid and Dario Saric will finish in the top three when rookie of the year results are announced on June 26, and Simmons is expected to be ready for next season after recovering from foot surgery.

Embiid welcomed Fultz to Philly with a tweet, proclaiming the new nickname of FEDS (Fultz, Embiid, Dario, Simmons).

"He used to tweet and retweet my stuff," Fultz said. "Once he figured out I had a chance to go there, he started showing more love and everything like that."

Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 25 games during his lone college season with the Washington Huskies, starring on a team that finished 9-22 and lost its final 13 games.

He led the Pac-12 in scoring, finished No 6 among all Division I players, and was the top freshman scorer in the country.

"Everyone knows what that level of talent is going to mean to us becoming a more competitive team," said Sixers president Bryan Colangelo.

"We are a team on the rise in so many different ways. We are an organization on the rise in so many different ways."

Could it be that Fultz's arrival means The Process is finished?

"We're going to try to make the right decisions to finish this project," Colangelo said.

They've got a good one in Fultz.

The sharpshooting point guard - often compared to Houston's James Harden - missed Washington's final four games, capped by a Pac-12 Tournament loss to Southern California.

Over the past 10 seasons, only two other freshmen had a better scoring average in college: Kevin Durant for Texas in 2006-07 and Michael Beasley for Kansas State in 2007-08.

Philadelphia had the No 1 draft pick three previous times, taking Doug Collins in 1973, Allen Iverson in 1996 and Simmons.

The Sixers also held four second-round picks (36, 39, 46, 50) on Thursday. They acquired the No 1 pick in a deal with Boston for the third pick, plus an additional first-rounder in either 2018 or 2019.

"We're going to keep driving to get it perfect," Colangelo said. "It's well on its way there."

The Sixers went 28-54 this past season, after winning 19, 18 and 10 games in the previous three seasons, starting a rebuilding campaign more commonly known as 'The Process.'

Embiid adopted the nickname as his own and was commonly introduced by that moniker at home games this season.

"This city has to feel fantastic," coach Brett Brown said.

The tease of the potential ahead has caused Sixers fans to react with their wallets. The team said on Wednesday it has sold a franchise-record 14,000 season ticket packages for next season.

The Sixers said they expect to sell out all 41 home games and fans can be added to a wait-list program.

Consider, four years ago, the Sixers' season-ticket base at this time of the year was at 3,400. They sold a touch under 10,000 last season and have accepted more than 1,000 partial plan deposits just this week.

"By adding a player of Markelle's caliber to our promising roster, we believe we're incredibly well positioned for the future," team owner Josh Harris said. "This is a tremendous night for the Sixers and our great fans."

Fultz, wearing orange sneakers made of basketballs at the Barclays Center, is a natural talent on the court who moves with easy fluidity. Off the court, he is exceedingly loyal to friends and family.

"I don't think there's one thing I can't do. I think I do everything at least decent," Fultz said after his selection.

His drive and humility comes from once being cut from the varsity of his high school team.

"You realize he's got the chip but he doesn't go out of his way to show it," Colangelo said. "I think there's an inner drive there and it's something that makes him special. He's motivated to prove people wrong, but not in a bad way."

Associated Press