When freshman Markelle Fultz and his Washington Huskies dropped their season opener Sunday at home to a Yale team that had recently lost its best player for the season, the whispers began -- from fans, college coaches and even some NBA executives.
The Twitter questions started coming, mostly sounding like "Why did he go to Washington instead of a blue blood such as Kentucky or Louisville?"
One NBA scout in attendance told me Fultz didn't even play well, yet he still managed to finish with 30 points. The Huskies were abysmal defensively, allowing 98 points to Yale, and didn't give their star frosh enough help on either end of the floor.
"He's going to be the next Ben Simmons -- and miss out on the NCAA tournament," one coach texted me.
Remember, Fultz hasn't been handed everything, in contrast to many other sure-fire lottery picks. He wasn't good enough to earn a spot on the varsity squad as a sophomore at DeMatha in Washington, D.C.
"I like being the underdog," Fultz said when explaining why he chose to head across the country to a program that hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2011. "And I loved Coach [Lorenzo] Romar and the coaching staff. Washington fits me."
One NBA executive said Seattle is the ideal spot for Fultz. Why? Because Romar plays fast, gives guards freedom, and many of them walk away with inflated numbers.
Take a look at the point guards who have played under Romar in Washington. There was Nate Robinson (16.4 PPG, 4.3 APG) in 2004-05, Isaiah Thomas (16.8 PPG, 6.1 APG) in 2010-11, Tony Wroten (16.0 PPG, 3.7 APG) in 2011-12, Nigel Williams-Goss (15.6 PPG, 5.9 APG) in 2014-15, and both Andrew Andrews (20.9 PPG, 4.9 APG) and Dejounte Murray (16.1 PPG, 4.4 APG) last season.
"If you're a guard, have aspirations to play in the NBA and want to get a lot of touches and play fast, it's an ideal spot," the NBA exec told me. "It's an offensive-oriented team, and his numbers will be a lot better than if he had gone to some other places."
If Fultz still had Marquese Chriss and Murray, both of whom left early to head to the NBA, it would be different. But both left (somewhat surprisingly) after just one season and were drafted in the first round. So, Fultz isn't just The Guy. He's The Guy and he has far less talent around him than Simmons did last season at LSU.
"Yale was the wrong team for them to play in their first game," said one NBA scout in attendance for the loss. "They are a system team that's going to cut and backdoor you, not going to turn it over and make mistakes."
"I think Washington will wind up getting it together," he added. "They have some talent with [Matisse] Thybulle, Sam Timmins and David Crisp. I'd be surprised if they don't get it together."
Simmons was the top overall pick even though LSU failed to reach the NCAA tournament. So the decision to go to LSU and play for his godfather, Tigers assistant David Patrick, didn't alter his NBA stock. However, the difference between him and Fultz is that Simmons grew up in Australia dreaming of being the top pick in the draft, not of playing in a Final Four.
"I came here to get Washington back to the NCAA tournament," Fultz said.
That will be the question for the next few months. But the NBA guys aren't overly concerned by team success, which was clear when Simmons still went first last June.
"Fultz is as good as advertised," an NBA executive said. "He's got a long way to go defensively, but talentwise he has a second level he can get to that maybe five guys in the country have. He's super-talented, athletic and can pretty much do everything on the offensive end."
Youth in Starkville
Ben Howland has the least experienced team in the country, according to KenPom.com. The Bulldogs played six freshmen, two sophomores and one senior in the season opener. Howland's heralded freshman class took a bit of a hit when big man Abdul Ado was ruled ineligible to play this season by the NCAA. Howland has three other players who were ranked in the ESPN 100: Mario Kegler (47), Schnider Herard (64) and Eli Wright (65), but it was unranked Tyson Carter who stood out in the opener for the freshmen. Carter finished with 17 points and was 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in a close win over Norfolk State.
Under-the-radar frosh
Justin Patton hasn't gotten a ton of attention, but the NBA guys are already well aware of Creighton's 7-footer. Greg McDermott redshirted the local kid a year ago. He gushes about his potential: Patton had 10 points and seven boards in an upset win over a Wisconsin team that boasts Nigel Hayes and Ethan Happ on its front line. One NBA scout told me Patton has a "good feel, runs the floor, blocks shots" and that he "will probably have a decision to make come March."
Virginia may redshirt pair of frosh
Don't be surprised to see Tony Bennett redshirt a couple of his freshmen: Neither De'Andre Hunter nor Jay Huff -- who were both ranked in the Top 100 -- has played thus far. One NBA executive who saw the Cavaliers practice said those two may be their top two NBA prospects, but neither is physically ready.
Zags big men have upside
Mark Few lost Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer, but the Zags may have a couple of frontcourt guys who have even more upside. Freshmen Zach Collins and Killian Tillie have already made an impact and looked terrific in the win against San Diego State. The duo combined for 23 points and 18 rebounds in 41 minutes against the Aztecs. One NBA scout said both have "lottery-pick potential," but more importantly for the Zags, they give Few a loaded frontcourt that also includes senior Przemek Karnowski and Missouri transfer Johnathan Williams. With those four guys, Few can keep his bigs fresh and also make sure Karnowski -- who missed most of last season due to injury -- stays healthy.
Azubuike has to stay more than one
Kansas coach Bill Self doesn't stop gushing about his freshman big man, Udoka Azubuike. The 7-foot, 280-pound big man just finished grabbing 12 rebounds in 15 minutes against Duke, and Self glows over what his Nigerian-born center did despite the fact that he's so raw. Self also knows he'll have Azubuike for more than a year. His listed birth date is Sept. 17, 1999, which means he won't fit the 19-year-old age requirement to even test the NBA waters after this season.