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Philadelphia 76ers: 5 reasons to be excited for 2018-19 NBA season

BySimon Smith|
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 24: The Philadelphia 76ers celebrate the series win after the game against the Miami Heat in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 24: The Philadelphia 76ers celebrate the series win after the game against the Miami Heat in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
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2. Chance to witness the real Markelle Fultz

While there were some flashes of brilliance, Sixers’ fans were simply teased as Fultz completed just 14 games in his debut season.

However, with a full offseason of work under his belt, Fultz appears set to put his demons behind him and demonstrate just why the Sixers traded up to select him the No. 1 overall pick.

Following a combination of physical and psychological issues, Fultz has had to almost start from scratch this past summer, as he went about fixing the jumpshot that went awfully awry in his debut season.

To demonstrate the amount of work Fultz put in this offseason, it’s estimated that Fultz put up approximately 150,000 shots with shooting coach Drew Hanlen during this time.

These actions certainly haven’t gone unnoticed, particularly from coach Brown:

"“To me, his body language, his spirit, really to me reeks of one that seems very sure in himself. I think that’s based out of him knowing he hasn’t skipped steps or cheated. He’s invested time and he feels pretty good about it, and he should…. “I think that Drew’s (Hanlen) done a great job. He’s really taken it personally, trying to bring him under his wing and help a young man as much as somebody’s shot, and for those reasons, I respect Drew’s genuine care for him. It’s deeper than, ‘let’s fix his shot.’ And I respect it, I appreciate it.”"

With the Sixers’ starting five seemingly set come opening night, Fultz is going to need to find his niche as an internal part of the second unit.

Despite the addition of veteran forward Wilson Chandler, the Sixers’ bench has lost some significant firepower after both Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova departed in the summer via free agency.

https://twitter.com/MarkelleF/status/1042938761598984192

Considering Fultz’s versatility, and his distinct ability to create his own shot, there’s going to be plenty of opportunities for the former University of Washington star to exhibit just why the Sixers were so desperate to land him in the 2017 NBA Draft.