Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown announced Sunday that No. 1 overall draft pick Markelle Fultz will come off the bench to start the season, per Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports.
Brown noted that the lack of playing time for Fultz during the preseason partly played in this decision.
Fultz played in just four preseason games, averaging 4.0 points and 1.3 assists in 11.8 minutes per game. He's been dealing with right knee soreness and missed the last two preseason games.




Another factor could be the play of Ben Simmons, the 2016 first overall pick who will also be a rookie this year, has been running the show in the preseason, essentially playing point guard with averages of 18.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per 36 minutes. This emergence as the primary playmaker will take pressure off Fultz and allow him to come on more slowly, playing some with the second unit as he gets healthy.
The 76ers are poised to be one of the most highly anticipated teams this season. It's not just Simmons and Fultz as Joel Embiid is the real headliner for the team. Embiid has been nothing short of dominant in a few preseason games, giving everyone faith that if this team can stay healthy it may be able to actually make some noise this season.