Sixers News: Markelle Fultz has dropped to fifth in Rookie of the Year betting odds

Markelle Fultz flashed some serious upside during his brief stint at Summer League, but that apparently isn’t enough to put him near the top of the betting odds for the Rookie of the Year race. Fultz currently sits in fifth, trailing a group of players who the scouting community seemed to agree did not have the same level of upside.

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The Sixers already have beef with Lonzo Ball.

Of course, having higher upside does not necessarily mean you’re the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. Fultz is going to split playmaking duties with fellow rookie Ben Simmons, and could quite easily be third in the pecking order behind Simmons and Joel Embiid. It’s not necessarily a commentary on his play if he doesn’t snag the top honors.

Speaking of Simmons, he’s holding firm at 5/1 odds for the moment, though he’s now tied with Jayson Tatum in the third spot, after a big jump from Dennis Smith to the second spot.

Here’s the full board at the moment, according to Sportsline/Bovada:

Though we’ve poured a lot of energy into campaigning for Sixers players to win the Rookie of the Year over the last few seasons—piss off, Malcolm Brogdon—ultimately what’s important next season is the continued progress of the franchise as a whole. A lot of Philadelphians are hoping for a playoff push next year, and that comes first and foremost.

But hey, who knows, maybe this fuels Fultz just a little bit more, adding to the chip on his shoulder he has built up over time. Go out there and prove ‘em wrong, young fella.