Sixers rookie guard Markelle Fultz is not “dead and buried” according to head coach Brett Brown.
The 19-year-old didn’t get off the bench Monday night in Philadelphia’s 117-101 Game 1 loss to the Boston Celtics—his third consecutive DNP-CD—with Brown opting instead to go with backup TJ McConnell.
Markelle Fultz is not 'dead and buried' for #NBAplayoffs, #Sixers' coach Brett Brown insists https://t.co/0sys9aw5xl via @phillydotcom
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) May 2, 2018
Brown says there is still a chance Fultz plays in the second-round series.
Per Philly.com:
Because he played the entire season, the Sixers consider McConnell the better option.
“To say he’s dead and buried, that’s not true,” Brown said. “But I got a decision to make, and I’ve made a decision.
“That doesn’t mean it’s etched in stone. It’s always something that you review and I think about. And the care for Markelle Fultz and his future is always on my mind.”
The coach, however, added that Fultz is “not dead and buried.”