The Philadephia 76ers have not made the NBA playoffs since 2012, but rookie Markelle Fultz has set his sights high and aims to get back there on his first try with the team.
The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft told Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com that the rest of the Sixers team shares his goal of making it to the postseason this year.
Article Continues Below“I think we’ve all got the same goal in mind: get back to the playoffs,” Fultz said. “That’s good to know everybody’s on the same page.”
Fultz was the consensus top pick in this year’s draft after averaging 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in his lone season at Washington. He joins last year’s No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons and veteran J.J. Redick as key additions for a Sixers team that won 28 games last season, the most wins for the franchise in four years.
While Simmons has been cleared for all basketball activities after suffering a broken foot which saw him miss all of last season, star big man Joel Embiid remains on the mend following knee surgery which ended his breakout rookie season early.
But if Fultz does get to play with a healthy Simmons and a healthy Embiid for most of the year, the Sixers should have a good shot at accomplishing the rookie’s goal to make it back to the postseason, especially in the much weakened Eastern Conference.