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When Lonzo Ball was making the media rounds after declaring for the 2017 NBA Draft and openly proclaiming that he was a better player than fellow draft hopeful Markelle Fultz, Fultz chose to remain quiet. He didn't fire back on social media. There was no exclusive interview about a possible beef with Ball, another top prospect at the point guard position. Instead, Fultz sat back and quietly went about his business preparing for the upcoming draft.

But make no mistake about it, the two have a behind-the-scenes rivalry brewing as they prepare for their professional careers.

"I have a lot of respect for him, and he's supposed to say that. Anyone that's your competitor is going to think that they're better," Fultz told Sports Illustrated. "To me, it was just funny, he just motivated me to work harder and be sure I put myself further and further in front."

As far as a rivalry goes between the two freshmen phenoms, Fultz isn't shying away from it.

"For sure, yeah. He's going to be a great guard in the league. He's going to be at my position, so I want to get him out of the way."

Fultz and Ball are two of the top point guard prospects in the upcoming draft, with Fultz expected to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick. But a growing debate also includes Ball, the UCLA point guard who led the Bruins to new heights last season, in the No. 1 spot.

But even if Fultz is taken with the first pick -- a goal of his since he was young -- he has higher expectations for himself as a rookie in the league.

"No. 1 is big for me because I've been dreaming about it all my life. I want to come in and kill it," Fultz said. "I want to be rookie of the year. Honestly, me? I want to be MVP next year."

Should Fultz be taken No. 1 in the draft, he might be a key player for a contender. The Boston Celtics, who finished the regular season with the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference, have the best chances to win the NBA lottery. Winning the MVP as a rookie is a pretty big goal, but if he were the best player on a team with a No. 1 seed, it's not totally impossible to imagine.

In his one season at the college level for Washington, Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists. Ball, who also played one season, averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists.