Boston had serious concerns about Fultz being a winner. Too many red flags

[Eja117]

Fultz has never won at any level. So it Has to be at least some of a concern. Not even preschool. Or rock-paper-scissors with ainge

So Ainge traded Fultz because he was concerned he was some sort of basketball equivalent of Dan Marino? TMac?  Wow

[BlackCeltic]

Danny could be right about Fultz but look at it this way. He thought Smart and Rozier are winners? These 2 ****tards are below average NBA players. Rozier can barely get any PT and Smart sucks, he has 1 good scoring game out of 20 games. So kind of scary to think about if you ask me. Danny likes gritty guys who can't play/shoot but have heart. That works in high school, some in college but in the NBA those guys go against Cleveland and get absolutely killed to the point where it is embarrassing, hence the ECF. I don't know guys.

The NBA is entertainment at the end of the day and Fultz is a superstar talent offensively. IT and Fultz would be a backcourt only Rivaled by Curry/Thompson and Wall/Beal.

[crimson_stallion]

Danny could be right about Fultz but look at it this way. He thought Smart and Rozier are winners? These 2 ****tards are below average NBA players. Rozier can barely get any PT and Smart sucks, he has 1 good scoring game out of 20 games. So kind of scary to think about if you ask me. Danny likes gritty guys who can't play/shoot but have heart. That works in high school, some in college but in the NBA those guys go against Cleveland and get absolutely killed to the point where it is embarrassing, hence the ECF. I don't know guys.

Hence why he likes Jackson - another gritty guy who can't shoot and will end up a role player.

People say the worst case for Fultz is that he could be another D'Angelo Russell...well Russell averaged almost 16 points and 5 assists last year as a 21 year old against NBA competition, so you could do a lot worse.  Id take Russell over Jackson any day.

Though I must jump to Rozier's defence.   While he was a gritty type player, he always showed offensive talent.   Even in college he could shoot from three and from midrange,  he could dribble,  could get to (and score at)  the basket, could create his own shots and play above the rim.   His percentages weren't great because he was the only scorer on a defensive oriented team,  so he was forced to take a lot of shots and always has the whole defence focused on him.   That kid has talent.

[Rida]

Danny could be right about Fultz but look at it this way. He thought Smart and Rozier are winners? These 2 ****tards are below average NBA players. Rozier can barely get any PT and Smart sucks, he has 1 good scoring game out of 20 games. So kind of scary to think about if you ask me. Danny likes gritty guys who can't play/shoot but have heart. That works in high school, some in college but in the NBA those guys go against Cleveland and get absolutely killed to the point where it is embarrassing, hence the ECF. I don't know guys.

Hence why he likes Jackson - another gritty guy who can't shoot and will end up a role player.

People say the worst case for Fultz is that he could be another D'Angelo Russell...well Russell averaged almost 16 points and 5 assists last year as a 21 year old against NBA competition, so you could do a lot worse.  Id take Russell over Jackson any day.

Though I must jump to Rozier's defence.   While he was a gritty type player, he always showed offensive talent.   Even in college he could shoot from three and from midrange,  he could dribble,  could get to (and score at)  the basket, could create his own shots and play above the rim.   His percentages weren't great because he was the only scorer on a defensive oriented team,  so he was forced to take a lot of shots and always has the whole defence focused on him.   That kid has talent.

Danny's logic= I don't rate Fultz as highly as most, probably has Jackson or Fox or a random on top of his daft board

[coco]

https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/876298609574256640

Danny has put his nuts firmly on the chopping board with this move, however, I hated the Ray Allen deal at the time and Danny got booed for picking Brown, so he deserves some slack.

Very different going from trading a No.5 (when you expected a No.1) to trading a No.1 who is head and shoulders the best on this class.....

I felt fine with that trade for Ray Allen back then.  We had PPierce, we needed to win now.

[Dino Pitino]

Fultz has never won at any level. So it Has to be at least some of a concern. Not even preschool. Or rock-paper-scissors with ainge

This is BS. The only reason DeMatha high school didn't win the championship his senior year is because he was invited to a tournament with the best players in the country and had to miss the championship game. The USA basketball team won a gold medal under his leadership. Washington Huskies was his only losing squad. Try again.

He missed the championship game to go to a meaningless all star tournament? Do other players do that kind of thing? Because that reeks of a player who values his own stardom over winning.

Meaningless? Look up the rest of the talent that was invited to that tournament before you speak B.S. Its one of the reasons he is being drafted top 3. He showed he was superior amongst his class.

He abandoned his ******* team in the championship game. If I were his teammate I'd feel utterly betrayed. **** an all star tourney.

That's like saying you would turn down an internship at the statehouse because youd miss a debate team competition at your H.S. I guess he is a loser for going to the tournament and all the other invitees are justified?

If it were the state championship, the internship could wait. Also, there are multiple high school all star events for a player to boost his rep at. Also, he had a whole year of college to do so. I wanna know how many other kids skip a championship game for an all star tourney.

EDIT: NEVERMIND, I CAN'T EVEN FIND INFO ON THE SKIPPED CHAMPIONSHIP YOU CITED, LOOKS LIKE HE WAS THERE FOR WHATEVER TITLE HIS TEAM WON, SO THIS IS ALL MOOT.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

You know who else never won in college? Damian Lillard. Didn't even make it to the tournament.

Man does that dude not care about winning in the NBA now, doens't he? 

[td450]

Maybe a better way to put it - Markelle didn't project enough swagger for this level of responsibility. Maybe a little afraid of big moments. Same with Ball, actually.

[ThaPreacher]

There may be questions about Fultz's winning ways, but year from now when we are looking back, we'll all agree that he was the best player from this deal BY MILES.

Is he a MJ-level talent? I don't think so and MILES is way over-exaggeration. He maybe the best prospect in the draft but he's not MILES ahead of anyone. A healthy Harry Giles is a different question.

Bill Walton who is not stranger to hyperbole, claims that "Fultz is the best freshman player he has ever seen".  Now don't take this at face value. But even if its close, its scary.

Fultz can score.  He can pass. He has range. Look at his shooting percentage.  And he's a point guard. Good lord.  We should have gotten more. Or just kept him. 

This is about freeing up cap space and getting another defender. Its about winning now.
But what happened to the "we want a player who can grow with our organization".

I have concerns about the Celtics being a winner.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

There may be questions about Fultz's winning ways, but year from now when we are looking back, we'll all agree that he was the best player from this deal BY MILES.

Is he a MJ-level talent? I don't think so and MILES is way over-exaggeration. He maybe the best prospect in the draft but he's not MILES ahead of anyone. A healthy Harry Giles is a different question.

Bill Walton who is not stranger to hyperbole, claims that "Fultz is the best freshman player he has ever seen".  Now don't take this at face value. But even if its close, its scary.

Fultz can score.  He can pass. He has range. Look at his shooting percentage.  And he's a point guard. Good lord.  We should have gotten more. Or just kept him. 

This is about freeing up cap space and getting another defender. Its about winning now.
But what happened to the "we want a player who can grow with our organization".

I have concerns about the Celtics being a winner.

It's really either this, or Danny thinks Fultz isn't that guy we and a lot of experts think he is, or he thinks the rest are just as good.

The winning now irks me. There's no way we can beat the Warriors, even with an IT - Butler - Hayward - Horford core. I don't understand why we shouldn't be doing what Philly is doing right about now, setting themselves up when the Warriors are old and could not do it anymore? Why we have to compete now?

Besides, Markelle Fultz HELPS us compete now, and get set up in the future. We got the 1 seed without having a legit 2nd option on offense. He could be that guy as a rookie. Can that be Jayson Tatum too, sure, but his upside to be a main guy isn't as high as Fultz's is.

[tarheelsxxiii]

For a few years now they've had a young NBA player interview the top prospects just prior to the draft.  This year was Devin Booker with Fultz, Jackson, Tatum, and Monk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_u3c3Njwmo

Maybe this is confirmation bias, but I couldn't help but notice that Fultz looks pretty insecure and unsure of himself here.  Jackson is the complete opposite.  Tatum seems to be a nice balance between the two, and Monk seems just happy to be there. 

[wiley]

In the interest of engaging in responsible media,
can the thread title be changed to:

Media Speculation:  Boston had serious concerns.....

We all know they had concerns,
but to falsely quote the team is bad media and bad juju...

[chilidawg]

In the interest of engaging in responsible media,
can the thread title be changed to:

Media Speculation:  Boston had serious concerns.....

We all know they had concerns,
but to falsely quote the team is bad media and bad juju...

I'd agree, but then again almost everyone of these threads is based on so much speculation that this one isn't much worse than the others.  Hopefully things will calm down as we have more actual information.

[Silent Storm]

Fultz is not a sure-fire prospect the way the media is hyping him up to be. He played on a bad team in a weak conference which drastically inflated his numbers and allowed him to have free reign during every game. I seriously doubt he would have been the consensus top pick if he had played in another conference like the ACC. It was a masterful decision on his part to attend Washington because it effectively continued the hype that he had generated in high school.

Ainge and Stevens clearly saw something they didn't like and it confirmed Fultz as being fool's gold, which is what prompted the trade.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Fultz is not a sure-fire prospect the way the media is hyping him up to be. He played on a bad team in a weak conference which drastically inflated his numbers and allowed him to have free reign during every game. I seriously doubt he would have been the consensus top pick if he had played in another conference like the ACC. It was a masterful decision on his part to attend Washington because it effectively continued the hype that he had generated in high school.

Ainge and Stevens clearly saw something they didn't like and it confirmed Fultz as being fool's gold, which is what prompted the trade.

Again, so is Damian Lillard, and he turned into a beast offensive PG. Fultz is bigger, longer and maybe as athletic, with quite possibly better vision.

We can debate about bad team, if he cares about winning, and inflated numbers all we want, but here's what we know.

Polished, NBA ready offensive game.
Shooter, can shoot off the dribble with ease.
Can be an effective pick and roll ballhandler.
Can get to his spot whenever he wants.
Very good ball handling skills. Can change speed with the ball in his hands.
Size and length are elite for position.
Athletic.
Can pass and is a willing distributor.
19 years old.

What other prospect in this draft, or last year's for that matter, has that kind of scouting report coming in?

He's indeed not a sure fire prospect, but with those strengths and skills, it's WAY more likely that he is than he is not.