Markelle Fultz Says 0 Votes for ROY in GM Survey 'Doesn't Bother' Him

Despite being the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Markelle Fultz is an underdog to become the league's Rookie of the Year.

In a poll of NBA's general managers, Fultz got zero votes to win the award, according to John Schuhmann of NBA.com. That lack of faith from GMs won't affect his mindset, however.

"It really doesn't bother me," the Philadelphia 76ers star said, per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice. "I know what I'm capable of, I know what my goals are. I don't really look into it. That's what they think, and that's their opinion. At the end of the day, I'm going to work to do what my goals are and what my team goals are."

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick of the draft, received 19 of the 30 votes, while Fultz's teammate Ben Simmons received seven votes after he missed all of last season.

Dennis Smith Jr., De'Aaron Fox and Jayson Tatum also received votes.

While general managers aren't high on Fultz's Rookie of the Year chances, they at least believe in his upside. In the same poll, 21 percent of GMs said he will be the best player in the class in five years, putting him in a second-place tie with Tatum. Only Josh Jackson got more votes at 24 percent.

General managers may not believe Fultz has a credible path to Rookie of the Year since he'll be splitting touches with Simmons and Joel Embiid, while the Los Angeles Lakers haven't shied away from building their offense around Ball. With Simmons operating as Philly's full-time ball-handler, Fultz will mostly operate off the ball, reducing his chances of putting up huge per-game numbers. 

Considering how the Sixers' last Rookie of the Year (Michael Carter-Williams) panned out, the team likely won't sweat it if Fultz misses out on that honor this season. Instead, his long-term development will be far more of a priority as Philadelphia attempts to move into the next phase of its lengthy rebuild and become a legitimate playoff contender.