NBA: Sixers coach assures: Fultz remains starter

76ers coach Brett Brown wants Markelle Fultz to stay in the Starting Five, but leaves the option open to get him off the bench at the start of the second half.

In the last preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks he tried this tactic, but the 76ers lost with 112:115. J.J. Redick started for the first pick of the draft in 2017 and Fultz came back in the third quarter.

“It had nothing to do with Markelle having foul problems,” Brown explained after the game. “I think Markelle’s best when he’s got the ball. If I take him off the bench in the second half, it’s possible to have him play point guard for four to five minutes.” Nevertheless, he stressed that he still plans to start with the No.1 pick of 2017, which hardly played in his rookie season.

This is quite remarkable: As soon as Redick plays with the rest of the starters, the team delivers outstanding statistics. According to NBA Advanced Statistics, this 5-man lineup was the most successful of last season and outscorted the opponents with 268 points in 601 minutes.

Fultz scored an average of 9 points in the preseason with a 43.2 percent throw rate. However, in these four games, the Point Guard has a poor Turnover Assist quota of 10/10, and Brown showed understanding: “He’s 20 years old, it’s the NBA. You know you’ll see ups and downs. Best for me, however, is the fact that he’s willing to defend. He’s being coached.”

Fultz himself was patient: “I was in the gym for hours and trained my litter, worked on everything, so I’m starting the season pretty confidently.”