The number one overall pick, Markelle Fultz recently met with Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson this week at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Although the former Washington standout has taken a low-profile approach leading up to the NBA Draft, that doesn’t mean he lacks the swagger of a bona fide star player.
In an interview on Sirius XM NBA Today, Fultz didn’t mince words in expressing his desire to play for Magic and the Lakers’ organization, and more importantly, his goal of becoming the best ever at his position.
Fultz aims to surpass Magic as G.O.A.T of all point guard
The 19-year old Fultz appears to have already set the bar higher for his pro-career after becoming college basketball’s most dominant offensive player last season. In his first and lone season with the Huskies, Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Many NBA scouts consider Fultz as the most gifted scorer of all the prospects in this year’s draft because of his ability to get points through a variety of ways. On the other hand, Ball appears to have an edge over him with regards to playmaking prowess.
The Lakers are already loaded with scorers from top to bottom, starting off with their guards D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson.
Brandon Ingram did not have a clear role on the offensive end last season, but he’s expected to get more touches next season as the team’s primary wing player. NBA scouts view Ball as a better prospect for the Lakers because of his ability to make his teammates better, while they label Fultz as a shoot-first guard who can take over the game through scoring like Isaiah Thomas or Damian Lillard.
Then again, Fultz believes he can still improve the playmaking aspect of his game and thinks there’s no better man to learn from than Johnson, who is arguably the best point guard in NBA history.
Moreover, Fultz even set the record straight about his plan of surpassing Magic as the best point guard ever. “I think that would be great because I want to be the best player to ever play.
My position of point guard, he's the best and knows all the tricks and everything like that, so being able to learn from one of the best point guards ever would be another plus,” Fultz told Sirius XM.
Celtics gunning at Washington back-court combo
The Boston Celtics are projected to select Fultz with the number1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. While general manager Danny Ainge hasn’t clearly laid out his plan for the draft, it is no secret that he will be picking the best all-around prospect in this class. Fultz is clearly that player.
With Thomas still under contract for next season, the Celtics will have the chance to team him up with another Huskies product on their backcourt. In addition, many NBA insiders think the selection of Fultz will give the Celtics more leverage in future contract negotiation with Thomas in the summer of 2018.
