Washington Huskies star Markelle Fultz announced today that he will forgo his remaining college eligibility and will enter the 2017 NBA draft. Fultz confirmed his decision in a video posted to his Twitter account.
“After sitting down with my mom and the coaching staff, I’ve made the decision to enter the NBA draft,” Fultz said. “Although the season hasn’t gone as planned, it’s really truly been a blessing to be here… I learned plenty of life lessons on and off the court, especially from Coach [Lorenzo Romar] and his coaching staff.”
The Huskies’ season came to an end on Wednesday following a loss to USC in the PAC-12 tournament. Although Washington finished the year with a record of 9-22, Fultz emerged as the odds-on favorite to be selected first overall in this June’s draft, making his announcement today unsurprising.
In 25 games for Washington this season, Fultz led the team in scoring with 23.2 PPG. He also filled up the stat sheet in several other categories, averaging 5.9 APG, 5.7 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG, and 2.1 3PT.
“There isn’t much that he can’t do well from passing to shot blocking,” Romar told Evan Daniels of Scout. “His love and passion for the game I believe sets him apart. [He’s a] great teammate and very unselfish.”
He really needed other opinions about declaring for the Draft when he has projected to be the 1st overall pick the majority of the NCAAM season lol?
Good for him though, hope he succeeds in the NBA.
So should I buy a Fultz Celtics jersey now? Lol. #ThankYouNets
The Lakers getting the number one overall pick! You heard it first…
And the Lakers will pick Lonzo Ball not Fultz
The top of this draft is going to be really difficult to figure out. There are more than a couple really good players. It’s probably going to come down to work outs and really small details. To be honest, 7 of 9 times I’ve seen Fultz, he hasn’t wowed me to the point that he is the obvious clear cut #1, but he has gotten a lot of hype. Definitely was hoping to see more of him, but I don’t think I’ll change my opinion on him until I hear about how possible workouts and meetings went/see him in summer league. I’ve heard that a lot of people get turned off by him for the same reasons as me. He doesn’t seem like he is trying all that hard. But that’s how talented he obviously is. Dude takes long strides, and can get to the rim with ease. His jumpshot should also be at least decent-good. He has questions defensively, and with his motor, as I mentioned. For me, I’m interested to see how he evolves in the NBA style and pace
I can see Boston even further delaying their assets and trading back to add more pieces. Not super far, but like to the top available non guard.