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Philadelphia 76ers: 5 goals for Markelle Fultz’s rookie season

By Josh Cornelissen

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 08: Markelle Fultz
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 08: Markelle Fultz /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – JANUARY 16: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks work for a rebound during a game at BMO Harris Bradley Center on January 16, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – JANUARY 16: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jabari Parker #12 of the Milwaukee Bucks work for a rebound during a game at BMO Harris Bradley Center on January 16, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

5. Avoid serious injury

Four seasons ago the Philadelphia 76ers took a major step in the dismantling of a playoff team, flipping former All-Star guard Jrue Holiday for Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel and a first round pick. Noel would miss his entire rookie season recovering from knee surgery to repair a torn ACL.

The next year, firmly in the midst of a rebuild, they took Kansas center Joel Embiid with the third pick. Embiid would go on to miss not one but two seasons to start his career, and appeared in only 31 games last year.

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Last year the injury bug hit again, sidelining top pick Ben Simmons in training camp with a broken foot. Hope that the former LSU Tiger would return by the end of the year faded into a cautious approach that will see Simmons debut alongside Markelle Fultz in October.

The 76ers have taken their time with rebuilding the team, and they are stocked with young talent because of it. But they want to compete this year, and that will require a healthy rookie star.

Fultz does not have a history of injury concerns, but neither did Simmons before he went down last fall. The organization — and Fultz — will hope the first-year guard makes it through the year in relatively good health, so fans can see this young core on the court together.

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