The 2017 NBA Draft featured one of the biggest draft blunders in recent memory, with the Philadelphia 76ers trading the third overall pick to the Boston Celtics for the top pick. The Sixers infamously took Markelle Fultz while the Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum, who is now one of the best players in the NBA.
Normally, a mistake like that could sink a franchise's rebuild but the Sixers somehow pivoted beautifully. After Fultz played just 33 games in his first two seasons in Philadelphia and looked as though he forgot how to shoot, he was shipped to the Orlando Magic.
That initially seemed like a salary dump, with the Sixers receiving Jonathan Simmons, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2019 second-round pick. That would normally seem like a terrible return for a then recent number one overall pick but that first-round pick became Tyrese Maxey.
The Philadelphia 76ers' all-time draft blunder ironically led to them drafting a star.
Drafting Maxey has turned out to be a huge get for the Sixers, with him dramatically outperforming expectations. In four seasons so far, he's averaged a terrific 18.2 points while shooting a blistering 39.6% on 5.1 3-point attempts per game as well as 4.1 assists.
He's gotten better year after year, with him more than doubling his scoring from 8 points per game as a rookie to averaging 17.5 points as a sophomore. In his fourth season, he broke out, averaging 25.9 points and 6.2 assists, made his first all-star team, and won Most Improved Player of the Year. That has made him one of the best players in the NBA under the age of 25.
Better still, his emergence has effectively made him what Fultz was supposed to be: a dynamic sharpshooting guard who can both score and can create for others. Better still, he is two years younger than Fultz—whose career may already be over—giving the Sixers someone they can build around when Joel Embiid begins to decline.
With Maxey, Embiid, and now Paul George, the Sixers have a big three and have the potential to make noise in the Eastern Conference. However, had it not been for the Fultz draft blunder, the 76ers may not have built the roster they have now.