BOSTON _ Back in June, the 76ers were applauded for moving up two spots to select Markelle Fultz first overall in the NBA draft.
The Sixers got that pick from the Boston Celtics in exchange for their No. 3 pick and the Los Angeles Lakers' 2018 protected first-rounder, which Philly owned. Boston ended up taking Jayson Tatum third.
These days, folks _ including at least one person with ties to the Sixers _ question moving up to draft Fultz, who missed considerable time this season and is currently out of the rotation.
"Tatum probably should have been the first pick in the draft," Sixers legend and Hall of Famer Julius Erving said Thursday morning on ESPN's Get Up. "He was there. I guess there was just, it was all about fit. And we took Fultz, Philly took Fultz."
Erving went on to praise Tatum, who torched the Sixers for 28 points in Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinals. The 6-foot-8 starting small forward is averaging 17 points through eight playoff games heading into Thursday's Game 2 at TD Garden. That came after he averaged 13.9 points while shooting 43.4 percent on 3-pointers in 80 regular-season games.
"Tatum has been awesome," Erving said. "It just seems as though when you get a player who can raise the level of their game at playoff time, you've got somebody special."
In what was his last game played, Fultz was limited to 4 minutes, 21 seconds in the first half of Game 3 of the first-round series against the Miami Heat on March 19. However, T.J. McConnell took over the reserve point-guard duties in the second half while he watched from the bench. He only saw 4:38 of action _ all in the first half _ of the Game 2 on March 16.
All that came after Fultz played 13:57 in Game 1 of that series and saw action in the final 10 regular-season games. He missed 68 straight games for what the team labeled a right shoulder injury. However, he actually had the yips, according to multiple sources.
The Celtics will get the Lakers' pick if it falls in slots 2-5 in this summer's NBA draft lottery. If it does not, Boston will receive either the Sacramento Kings' or Sixers' first-round pick in 2019. The Celtics would take whichever one is more favorable. But if either of those picks become the first overall, the Celtics will receive the other pick.
