Julius Erving has always been a man of carefully measured words, befitting his nickname, "Dr. J."
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That gives extra gravity to a statement he made Thursday on ESPN'S "Get Up." Erving told the show the 76ers probably should have picked Jayson Tatum, not Markelle Fultz, with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
"Tatum probably should have been the first pick in the draft," Erving said . "He was there, I guess there was just, it was all about the fit. And we took Fultz, Philly took Fultz, and obviously Fultz's whole rookie year — I think he'll be a rookie again next year sorta like [Ben] Simmons because of the injuries. But Tatum has been awesome, it just seems as though when you get a player who can raise the level of their game at playoff time, you've got somebody special."
Tatum certainly looks like the better player at the moment, especially after scoring a career-high 28 points in the Celtics' win over Philly in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Fultz, who missed all but 14 games in the regular season due to an injury, has not played in the last three playoff games due to coach Brett Brown's decision.
Left unstated by Erving — but certainly not forgotten by 76ers fans — is that the 76ers traded the No. 3 pick in the 2017 draft, where the Celtics drafted Tatum out of Duke, for the No. 1 pick. Boston also gets another first-round pick from the 76ers in 2018.
Of course, it's unfair to make comparisons between players so early in their career, especially when one of them has been injured. But Erving isn't the only one in Philadelphia who thinks Tatum, with his length (6-8), defensive prowess and 3-point shooting ability, might have been a better fit for the 76ers.
"I like Tatum. I like his game," Erving said. "I like what he brings to the table."