Markelle Fultz Thought he Came up with Trust the Process

After pulling off a rather surprising trade with the Boston Celtics to acquire the overall No. 1 pick in Thursdays NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers are expected to select Washington point guard Markelle Fultz. After swapping picks with the Celtics, a certain portion of Sixers fandom began crowing about former general manager Sam Hinkie's plan to tank several seasons in a row in order to build a super team from the ground up. "Trust the Process" went from mantra, to punchline, to redemptive armageddon.

But, really, Trust the Process is just an expression of a fate not yet realized. But the (likely) newest addition to the Sixers and the process believes he came up with the phrase years ago. Fultz said the following during his media session on Wednesday:

Markelle Fultz, toiling away in the obscurity of junior varsity basketball and getting cut, eventually put himself in position to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, all the while telling himself to Trust the Process. Philadelphia also toiled, my God did they toil, for years in the indignity of the Eastern Conference cellar, until one day finding themselves in position to make the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. Never once did either lose faith in their own process. (Well, except Philadelphia, who pushed Hinkie out in 2016.)

Markelle and Philly, singing to each other under the same pale moonlight, each unaware of who or what they were singing to, only sure that they knew the words of the song and the song was good. Tomorrow night the song becomes a duet, as it was written in the stars.