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

3. Shoot above league-average on three-pointers

Markelle Fultz is dynamic with the ball in his hands, and all throughout his freshman year he carved up opposing defenses in transition, at the rim and in the midrange. Defenses across the Pac-12 and the country failed to slow down the best offensive player in the draft. 

While Fultz shot a solid 41 percent from beyond the arc, he rarely pulled up from NBA distance. His transition to the NBA three-point arc could go easily, or it could be a major growing pain. Fultz’s love of pull-up midrange jumpers doesn’t play well to a league increasingly moving away from general inefficiency. 

At Washington, Fultz was not often playing off the ball. When he was, he rarely caught passes and moved immediately into a shooting motion. More often he would attack off of the closeout, getting past the defender to pull-up from inside the arc.

Playing alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, Fultz will have many opportunities to receive a pass out beyond the arc. Attacking closeouts is a valuable skill, but NBA athletes have better speed and balance than college players. If they don’t respect his shot, they will contest in a stance that allows them to snuff out his drives.

Philadelphia’s latest draft pick has the tools to develop into a knockdown outside shooter. If he can develop his shot from the jump, his future will be that much brighter.