76ers’ Markelle Fultz Ready To ‘Test Myself’ Against Kyrie Irving, Celtics

Markelle Fultz will get a chance to challenge himself on the court Tuesday night.

The Philadelphia 76ers guard was limited to just 14 regular-season games last season due to injury. But he’s ready for a fresh start when his team opens up the 2018-19 campaign in Boston against the Celtics at TD Garden.

NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakely believes the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft will see a lot of time guarding C’s guard Kyrie Irving. But for Fultz, he sees it as his time to test his basketball skill.

“It’s an opportunity to test myself as a defensive player,” Fultz said, via Blakely. “I take it as a challenge to go out there and compete on both ends of the floor. I’m looking forward to it.”

It certainly will be an opportunity for the 20-year-old to leave a strong early impression on 76ers fans. After averaging 7.1 points per game last season, Fultz likely will be eager to prove his worth as a No. 1 pick.

And what better stage to do it on than against the team that eliminated the 76ers from the 2018 playoffs?

Tip-off from the Garden is set for 8 p.m. ET.