Some players are more interested in landing with their favorite teams, but Markelle Fultz dreams of being the first player off the board.
Expected by many to be the top pick in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft, currently owned by the Boston Celtics, Fultz would love nothing more than to go No. 1 overall.
“I’ve talked to Danny a few times, and they want to get me to come out there for a visit,” Fultz told Jeff Goodman of ESPN. “They just want to get a chance to know me better as a person. I want to be the No. 1 pick really bad. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, and I feel like I would fit well in Boston.”
Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game as a freshman at Washington.
In addition to his notable achievements on the court during his lone season with the Huskies, Fultz has been doing solid work in the gym of late. A recent photo showed he’s bulked up quite a bit for the rigors of the more physical NBA game.
Fultz said he has not yet firmed up a date to visit Boston, but per Goodman he will likely work out for coaches and management when the time comes.
Additionally, while some have suggested a Fultz pick could mean the end of Isaiah Thomas in Boston, Fultz believes the two of them can coexist very nicely.
“We can both play on or off the ball,” Fultz said. “We can both score and also pass. I think we’d be great together. When we’ve talked since the lottery, we haven’t really talked about basketball much. He’s been through a lot lately.
“I’m a versatile point guard who is unselfish and can score at all three levels,” he said. “I can rebound, block shots, push the ball, basically anything you need from a guard. Off the court, I’m humble.”
Boston has the luxury of the No. 1 overall pick despite being the No. 1 seed in the east this past year because of its trade with Brooklyn back in 2013, which you can read more about here. It’s going to be fascinating to see what Danny Ainge and Co. do this summer to bolster their chances of improving the roster going forward.