Definitely one of the more bizarre draft stories I can recall in a while.
We hear a lot about physical evaluations of draft prospects in the run-up to the draft, but if there are extensive mental and psychiatric evaluations, we don't hear about them.
Fultz may be a situation where the talent is great but the kid's head is a mess. That tends to derail careers, though guys like that sometimes find a way back (see: Michael Beasley).
actually there was a story that brad Stevens asked Fultz high school guidance counselor to see how Fultz learns. I now wonder what they discovered
Joan Phalen, the assistant director of academic support at Fultz’s alma mater, DeMatha Catholic High School, recently received a surprising phone call from the head coach of the Boston Celtics.
“I had a wonderful conversation with Brad Stevens,” said Phalen, who worked with Fultz almost daily during his time at the private high school in Hyattsville, Md. “He was so interested in how Markelle learns, and I just thought that was an amazing concept for a coach to be interested in and concerned about. We had a great conversation.”
“[Stevens] was interested in how [Fultz] learns,” Phalen said. “How he handles disappointment when he confronts weakness in some part of his development, specifically in academics. We talked about his personality.”Phalen said she told Stevens that Fultz, who graduated from DeMatha in 2016, displayed an unusual dedication to learning. Fultz would often ask her to meet with him at 6 a.m. on school days — nearly two hours before class started — and also on weekends.