NBA Summer League: Tatum and Fultz face off

Some exciting action took place in the ongoing NBA Summer League in Utah. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics took to the hardwood and faced off. Both teams were involved in the megadeal that took place just days before the 2017 NBA Draft, where the Philadelphia received the first-overall pick from Boston in exchange for the third pick and a conditional future first round pick. The Sixers selected Markelle Fultz with their pick, while the Celtics came away with Jayson Tatum.

Both players were in the spotlight in this game and neither one disappointed. It was a twist of fate that both of them would end up facing each other in their NBA debuts. Tatum and Fultz are no strangers, having developed a history as early as their high school days. Considering how things panned out, we could be seeing the seeds of a great rivalry planted and waiting to blossom.

Fultz saw 22 minutes of action and finished the game with 17 points, three blocks, as well as four turnovers. Tatum had the better end of this encounter. Not only did he end the game with 22 points, knocking down 4-of-5 shots from downtown, but also added seven rebounds and five steals. Tatum also nailed a jumper with just over five seconds left in the game to lift the Celtics over the Sixers, 89-88.

Boston sophomore Jaylen Brown was the top performer of the game as he ended the night with a stuffed stat sheet to go with a double-double performance. He topped off the Celtics’ win with 29 points, 13 rebounds, one trey, one steal, and one block.

This has already been a pretty wild off-season in the league with many teams seeing new faces in different places. Still, with the impressive game displayed by these two promising rookies, the future is looking bright for the NBA.