Things nearly turned out differently for Jayson Tatum had things gone differently in the 2017 NBA Draft. Instead of leading the Boston Celtics, he could be leading the Philadelphia 76ers to deep postseason runs. One former NBA Champion has not forgotten what could have been, and he’s still taking shots at the Sixers for their decisions.
Ex-NBA Champ Laughs at the 76ers for Passing Up on Jayson Tatum
During the 2017 NBA Draft, the Celtics held the first overall pick, but they were willing to trade down to the Sixers. The Sixers already had their eyes set on Markelle Fultz, while the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in acquiring Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick.
Since it was already clear who the top teams wanted that year, the Celtics decided to trade down for the third pick. The Sixers went on to get Fultz, and the Celtics got Tatum.
Several years down the line, it has become clear that the Sixers made the wrong call to pass up on Tatum. A decision that 2020 Lakers champion Markieff Morris isn’t letting them live down just yet.
During an episode of “The Morris Code,” hosted by Markieff with his twin Marcus and with Tatum appearing as a special guest, Markieff clowned the Sixers.
“They got swindled,” Markieff said while his twin brother and Tatum laughed. “The Sixers still haven’t recouped from that.”
Markieff Morris on the Celtics fleecing the Sixers for Jayson Tatum 😂🏀
“They told the Sixers they was gonna draft Markelle Fultz & drafted Jayson Tatum & made them trade up and get him, and then drafted him… Like, what the f**k?… The Sixers still ain’t recoup from that… pic.twitter.com/QRexupEscp
— Morris Code Show (@TheMorrisCode2) December 22, 2025
At the time, passing up on Tatum seemed like a good idea. The Sixers needed a point guard to pair with their young bigs, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor. In 2016, they had also just drafted Ben Simmons. While Simmons was listed as a point guard, his tall stature made it ideal for him to be listed as a small forward.
Their frontcourt was already seemingly loaded with those three, and drafting a combo guard capable of doing multiple things well made sense. Fultz, who averaged 23.2 points while hitting 41.3 percent of his 3-pointers along with 5.9 assists in college, fit the bill.
However, his stellar performance in college didn’t translate to the pros. A nagging shoulder injury seemed to have affected his shooting touch. He was also limited to only fourteen games in his rookie year and nineteen in his second. In his third season, he was already part of another team, as the Sixers traded him to the Orlando Magic.
Tatum, on the other hand, exceeded both the first and second picks in 2017. He already has six All-Star selections and has been named to the All-NBA First Team four times, while neither of the two players taken before him has achieved this honor.
