MARKELLE FULTZ
BIRTHDATE: 5/29/98
POSITION: Point Guard
HEIGHT: 6'5"
WEIGHT: 190 lbs
SCHOOL/ TEAM: Washington
CLASS: Freshman
OFFENSE
*Great size and length for today's point guard
*Good athlete with a high motor
*Aggressive driver off the PNR who can rack up FTAs
*Has a craftiness to his handle that many of the recent PGs with his size lack
*Good first step and a nice spin move he uses in the paint
*Good at finding room in traffic to get his shot off in the paint even as teams pack the lane
*Uses his length to finish from awkward angles, which leads him to take a few more acrobatic shots than I'd like but he's often fouled in the attempt
*Finds shooters crosscourt coming off the PNR and mostly puts the ball on target
*Shows good timing and touch on the pick and pop passes he's thrown
*Has had some trouble developing chemistry with his PNR rollers but that has more to do with his bigs.
*When the opportunity presents, he's shown solid vision and the ability to deliver the pass
*Has a tendency to drive towards the baseline without much of a plan.
*If the defense doesn't bail him out with a foul, this causes quite a few of his turnovers
*Strong finisher in transition who can also find shooters filling the lanes
*Looks really fluid shooting off the dribble
*Very comfortable with the pull up college three whether off the PNR or a step back
*Hasn't shown much from NBA range yet in NCAA games
*Most of his midrange attempts are tough, contested shots.
*Decent as a spot up shooter but seems to prefer catching and shooting on the move as opposed to standstill shots.
*He needs rhythm
*Does a good job following up his own shot to get offensive rebounds
*Rebounds well for his size and likes to get the break started
*Finds the big quickly for outlets and pushes the ball up court quickly to get into the Huskies offense
*Responded to his only real off shooting night by focusing on getting his teammates involved and filling up the boxscore
DEFENSE
*Has the size, length and athleticism to guard both guard spots and be a really good defender if he commits to it
*Doesn't use his athleticism to pressure the ball but prefers to use his length to hang back and still contest
*Does a pretty good job positioning himself off ball as a help defender but can get caught ball watching
*Good at fighting through off ball screens and staying within range to bother shooters with his length
*Good timing on his contests.
*Has blocked a shot in each of his games
*Dies on the screen too often as a PNR defender.
*He's easily screened and he also has a tendency to try to fight under screens, even against solid shooters which completely take him out of the play
KHAIRI AKILI - DECEMBER 5, 2016
Markelle is my pick to the be the first player in the 2017 NBA and I think he'd be able contribute right away play on or off the ball. The best way I'd describe his game is smooth. He just glides across the court with fluid movements and makes scoring look so easy you may think he's bored. I love his patience and how he plays at a great pace. He's a willing passer and despite playing with teammates who were far less talented, he still made the right passes and never really seemed to play out of control when his team was getting smacked around.
Markelle possesses a beautiful jump shot and is one of the few players who can beat defenses on 3 levels. He can attack the rim with his quick for step, has a nice efficient mid range pull up game and he shoots a high percentage from behind the arc.
My favorite attribute is Fultz' creativity as a scorer. He's a shifty ball handler in traffic and has the craftiness of a NBA veteran. He's uses his size to punish smaller guards, his quickness to beat bigs on switches and displays a nice floater to avoid shot blockers in the paint. Fultz also has excellent foot work which contributes to his shiftiness and ability to create space off the dribble to get his jumper off.
Markelle is also a dangerous scorer in ball screens with sneaky athleticism and his good at splitting pick & rolls and putting pressure on the defense.
RAFAEL BARLOWE - MARCH 25, 2017
Markelle Fultz looks like a franchise cornerstone. He's long, crafty, slithery, athletic- he has it all physically. He's already snaking pick and rolls. He's probably one of a handful of guys in college that can score at all three levels. He rebounds and his either getting fouled or getting a bucket in transition. I like that he's at Washington because he's learning how to carry a team already.
There isn't much to dislike about Fultz but he can over penetrate and be careless at times with the ball. He's a good playmaker but at UW he forces a lot of shots due to being the best player on his team. His jump shot needs a lot of reps.
POSITIVES:
-Long
-Draws fouls
-Great transition
-Rebounds well
-Slithery
-Very good athlete
-Decent pinch post game
-Scores at three levels in the pick and roll
-Good floater
AREAS OF CONCERN:
-Careless at times
-Shot selection
-Must improve as a shooter
-Out of control going to the basket
-Continue to work on jumper
JAMES BARLOWE - JANUARY 2, 2017
