Philly Legend Julius Erving Says Jayson Tatum Should’ve Been No. 1 Pick

Celtics president Danny Ainge's successful move to trade down and still get Jayson Tatum, who by all means appears to be the best player of the 2017 NBA Draft through one season, remains one of his most incredible moves.

Which, to be honest, is remarkable in its own right.

Swindling Philadelphia into giving the Celtics an additional first-round pick just to have the No. 1 overall pick, which the Sixers used to select Markelle Fultz, the Green have reaped the rewards of Tatum since Day 1.

It's even hit the point where not even Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving can dispute the C's obvious win.

“Tatum probably should have been the first pick in the draft," Erving said during an appearance with ESPN's "Get Up!" on Thursday. "He was there. I guess it was all about the fit. We took Fultz. Philly took Fultz. Obviously his rookie year, I think he'll be a rookie again next year, sort of like [Ben] Simmons [this year], because of all the injuries."

Playing a pivotal role for a Gordon Hayward-less C's squad this season, Tatum averaged 13.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Celtics, and set the franchise record for most three-pointers by a rookie, with makes on 105 of 242 attempts from behind the arc. He has since proven to be a legitimate gamebreaker for the (even further injury-depleted) Celtics this postseason, too, averaging 17 points and five rebounds per contest through eight games.

Fultz, meanwhile, had a disastrous regular season that saw him go through a season-long rehabilitation of his downright garbage shot and shoulder issues, with 7.1 points per game and a 40.5 field goal percentage. It hasn't gotten all that better for Fultz this postseason, with a 14.3 field goal percentage in an extremely limited bench role.