Washington point guard Markelle Fultz is a transcendent player on a terrible college team. Those types of players rarely if ever stay multiple years at school. Fultz, to the surprise of nobody, announced his declaration for the 2017 NBA Draft via Twitter on Friday:
HUSKY FOR LIFE ? #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/x7eVb9rqiq
— Markelle Fultz (@MarkelleF) March 10, 2017
Fultz, in his video, said:
“What’s up Husky fans? Markelle Fultz here. I just want to say it’s been an honor to play in front of you guys, and I really appreciate all the support you guys have given me. After sitting down with my mom and the coaching staff, I made a decision to enter the NBA Draft. Although the season hasn’t gone as planned, it’s really, truly been a blessing to be here, and I learned plenty of life lessons on and off the court, especially from coach [Lorenzo Romar] and his coaching staff. I’m always going to be a Husky for life, Go Dawgs.”
Fultz, who is widely considered to be the projected no. 1 overall pick this June, averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game for the Huskies this season while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range. Fultz was named the the Pac-12’s First Team.
The Boston Celtics have the right to swap first-round draft picks with the Brooklyn Nets; that pick is currently projected to be no. 1 overall. Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics’ All-Star point guard, recently said the following about Fultz on a podcast with Bill Simmons:
#Celtics are currently positioned to have the #1 draft pick this year…
Sounds like Isaiah Thomas already knows who should go first ? pic.twitter.com/vaOkrHMyMb
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) March 7, 2017
Thomas also said that if Boston has the no. 1 pick they should “go get [Fultz].”
