Philadelphia 76ers: 5 reasons Markelle Fultz was the right pick

5. Mindset

Regardless of the sport, being taken No. 1 overall in a draft brings an enormous amount of extra pressure and responsibility.

Fultz is certainly not shying away from these expectations. In fact, he’s putting additional pressure and expectations on himself, such is his self-belief and determination to succeed.

Recently, Fultz partook in a chat and a game of one-on-one with seven-time All-Star, Tracy McGrady. During their brief meeting, McGrady asked Fultz what goals he had set for himself for his rookie campaign.

"“Yeah, I’ve got big goals. Rookie of the year…MVP.”"

Naturally, comments of this nature are bound to raise the eyebrows of coaches and players alike around the league. But this was certainly not the first, or for that matter the last, time that Fultz expresses his own self-confidence.

During his past season at the University of Washington, Fultz spoke with Bleacher Report, covering a number of subjects. Among the topics was how he forecast his career panning out despite not yet stepping on an NBA floor.

"“When I was younger, trying to make the make the freshman and JV team, my dream was always to make it to the NBA. At first, I was thinking about just getting to the NBA, just watching the NBA, being one of the All-Stars in the NBA. But I actually want to be the best to ever play this game. And I think I have a pretty good chance to do that.”"

While some will feel that Fultz is possibly getting ahead of himself, these statements should certainly leave the Sixers in doubt as to Fultz’s future aspirations.