Markelle Fultz Is Going Off Without a Hitch (Paolo Uggetti/The Ringer)

[Knightro]

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Markelle Fultz Is Going Off Without a Hitch
The former no. 1 pick went to hell and back in his two NBA seasons. Now with the Magic, Fultz is drawing attention not for how janky his shot looks, but for how well he’s playing.
By Paolo Uggetti Jan 17, 2020, 9:17am EST

Markelle Fultz’s bright, blood-red LeBrons streak down the court on a fast break late in the second quarter of Wednesday’s game between the Magic and the Lakers. There is only one thing standing between him and the basket: LeBron himself. Without hesitation, Fultz buries his left shoulder into James, and what is usually an impenetrable wall for most opponents actually moves back. Fultz springs LeBron out of bounds and finishes the layup. The sequence elicits a rare “Whooooa” from the Staples Center crowd, as if they’re afraid to react with admiration since it isn’t LeBron or Anthony Davis manufacturing this highlight.

“I definitely don’t think anybody expects that from me, the physicality part,” Fultz said afterward.

In the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, after having put JaVale McGee into a blender for a layup, Fultz goes at LeBron again. This time, he freezes James with a deceptive spin move, twisting his body the opposite direction and then toward the rim for an easy layup that seals the win and leaves LeBron raising both hands in disbelief. The crowd’s noise is now closer to groans of resignation.

When Fultz shifts into gear in the open floor, he jumps into a time machine that takes him back to his days at the University of Washington. Those college highlights, the ones that propelled him to be the no. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, come to life again. That version of Fultz disappeared as soon as he got to the NBA. A mysterious shoulder injury robbed him of his shot, limited him to only 33 regular-season games in his first two seasons, and led to a trade from Philadelphia to Orlando last year. But on Wednesday night, that Fultz—the one roundly mocked and labeled a bust—felt like a distant memory. Fultz, the Magic’s starting point guard, finished the game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists—his second career triple-double and arguably the best game of his career.

“Oooh boy, ooooh boy. That boy is nice,” Aaron Gordon said postgame. “He’s only gonna get better.”

After two long years, Fultz’s career has finally begun.

Read more: https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/1/17/21070255/markelle-fultz-orlando-magic (free)

[Tarheel]

On a personal level, you've got to be happy for the kid. So many people wrote him off and it's got to feel good for him to start proving people wrong.

Hopefully he's stays healthy and keeps improving.

[Skybox]

on top of it all, his post-game interviews are always humble, grateful, and praising teammates...not one (visible) ounce of spite or revenge BS...class act handling this gracefully

[j-ragg]

on top of it all, his post-game interviews are always humble, grateful, and praising teammates...not one (visible) ounce of spite or revenge BS...class act handling this gracefully

Outside of Philly I dunno how guys can't root for him. Classic underdog story and like you said he has such a good attitude. Doesn't lash out because things aren't going his way a la Josh Jackson because he sucks or Buddy Hield because of money.

I think a lot of the negativity was from people thinking his injury was solely psychological, some people on this board diagnosed him with depression and mental illness lol. I usually hate how this org. only wants to acquire choir boys because their play usually matches their attitude but Fultz plays physical, I like his game a lot.

[MagicFan101]

on top of it all, his post-game interviews are always humble, grateful, and praising teammates...not one (visible) ounce of spite or revenge BS...class act handling this gracefully

Outside of Philly I dunno how guys can't root for him. Classic underdog story and like you said he has such a good attitude. Doesn't lash out because things aren't going his way a la Josh Jackson because he sucks or Buddy Hield because of money.

I think a lot of the negativity was from people thinking his injury was solely psychological, some people on this board diagnosed him with depression and mental illness lol. I usually hate how this org. only wants to acquire choir boys because their play usually matches their attitude but Fultz plays physical, I like his game a lot.

First off ... Depression is a serious illness and he very well may have had it. That (or other psychological disorders) is not something to laugh aside.

I think the real problem was the people claiming he was just here to get a pay check, put in no work and walk away next year.

[j-ragg]

on top of it all, his post-game interviews are always humble, grateful, and praising teammates...not one (visible) ounce of spite or revenge BS...class act handling this gracefully

Outside of Philly I dunno how guys can't root for him. Classic underdog story and like you said he has such a good attitude. Doesn't lash out because things aren't going his way a la Josh Jackson because he sucks or Buddy Hield because of money.

I think a lot of the negativity was from people thinking his injury was solely psychological, some people on this board diagnosed him with depression and mental illness lol. I usually hate how this org. only wants to acquire choir boys because their play usually matches their attitude but Fultz plays physical, I like his game a lot.

First off ... Depression is a serious illness and he very well may have had it. That (or other psychological disorders) is not something to laugh aside.

I think the real problem was the people claiming he was just here to get a pay check, put in no work and walk away next year.

Yawn... looking for something to be offended about. I'm laughing at the notion that he 'all of a sudden couldn't shoot' was because of a mental illness and not a physical injury. But if you want I'll try to never put lol in the same post as mental illness.

[MagicFan101]

Outside of Philly I dunno how guys can't root for him. Classic underdog story and like you said he has such a good attitude. Doesn't lash out because things aren't going his way a la Josh Jackson because he sucks or Buddy Hield because of money.

I think a lot of the negativity was from people thinking his injury was solely psychological, some people on this board diagnosed him with depression and mental illness lol. I usually hate how this org. only wants to acquire choir boys because their play usually matches their attitude but Fultz plays physical, I like his game a lot.

First off ... Depression is a serious illness and he very well may have had it. That (or other psychological disorders) is not something to laugh aside.

I think the real problem was the people claiming he was just here to get a pay check, put in no work and walk away next year.

Yawn... looking for something to be offended about. I'm laughing at the notion that he 'all of a sudden couldn't shoot' was because of a mental illness and not a physical injury. But if you want I'll try to never put lol in the same post as mental illness.

Why do physical and physiological illnesses have to be mutually exclusive?

When you’re entire focus has been on becoming a professional athlete and you come into the league with such hype and such pressure only to have it torn down by injury ... depression has to be easy to fall into for a young man.

[Popsicle1228]

First off ... Depression is a serious illness and he very well may have had it. That (or other psychological disorders) is not something to laugh aside.

I think the real problem was the people claiming he was just here to get a pay check, put in no work and walk away next year.

Yawn... looking for something to be offended about. I'm laughing at the notion that he 'all of a sudden couldn't shoot' was because of a mental illness and not a physical injury. But if you want I'll try to never put lol in the same post as mental illness.

Why do physical and physiological illnesses have to be mutually exclusive?

When you’re entire focus has been on becoming a professional athlete and you come into the league with such hype and such pressure only to have it torn down by injury ... depression has to be easy to fall into for a young man.

J-ragg can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he was “lol” at of the armchair psychologists on this forum whom have likely never even met Markelle, and were diagnosing him with depression. I don’t think he was laughing at people who have depression or actual medical depression in itself.

[MagicFan101]

Yawn... looking for something to be offended about. I'm laughing at the notion that he 'all of a sudden couldn't shoot' was because of a mental illness and not a physical injury. But if you want I'll try to never put lol in the same post as mental illness.

Why do physical and physiological illnesses have to be mutually exclusive?

When you’re entire focus has been on becoming a professional athlete and you come into the league with such hype and such pressure only to have it torn down by injury ... depression has to be easy to fall into for a young man.

J-ragg can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he was “lol” at of the armchair psychologists on this forum whom have likely never even met Markelle, and were diagnosing him with depression. I don’t think he was laughing at people who have depression or actual medical depression in itself.

Physical, psychological or a combination of the two. All are legitimate reasons for a setback in your career.

My problem was always with the people who assumed he was simply scamming the league for a payday with no intent of working on a return.

[VFX]

So happy that this kid turned it all around.

He needed it.
We needed it.

It’s even better that we took a chance on him when nobody else would. That has to give Orlando personal leverage should he become a really great player. Fultz is easily the best decision this FO has made outside of selecting Isaac based on their metrics.

[Capn'O]

Depression, if he was, would have been secondary to the physical issue. He had a physical issue that a lot of people were trying to say didn't exist. Certainly, everything that went on likely took a psychological toll.

[zaymon]

Depression, if he was, would have been secondary to the physical issue. He had a physical issue that a lot of people were trying to say didn't exist. Certainly, everything that went on likely took a psychological toll.

It can go both ways. There is somatization disorder which is quite common in depression. Even Weltman said they didnt know if its physical, mental or both.

[Driguez]

I'm happy for him and it seems he has a large following of both players and media rooting for him. Hope he stays a Magician for a long time. He keeps getting more and more comfortable and it shows on his play. We got a steal, kid is legit.

[dsg2021]

I'm starting to become a believer, the 3pt shot might or might not come, but he's turning into an absolute wizard inside the 3pt line. That is something that breaks down defenses and gets things moving for an offense, it's something I appreciated from one of my fan favorite players, CP3, and it's great to see Fultz starting to show shades of that in his own way. I definitely look at that AG for Otto Porter idea that cedric keeps hoping for, because it is one of the only two trade ideas I actually liked for AG. JI a 7-foot 3pt corner shooter, mixing it up inside with plays and chemistry alongside Fultz more and more, Vooch another 7-foot 3pt shooter with a lot of passing and inside skill, and Fournier, Ross, and Otto as sharpshooters around Fultz. If Okeke surprises, the team is looking good while you try to properly line up assets and cap space for big-time moves down the road. There should probably be no "James Harden QB" on this team, as Vooch is a monster, JI's offense hasn't hit a ceiling yet, and even players like Fournier and Ross have their days, but I definitely see a reason to play through Fultz more and more.

Fultz / DJ
Fournier / Ross
Otto / Okeke
JI / Okeke
Vooch / Bamba / Birch

[Driguez]

The team needs to start making moves based on Isaac's and Fultz timelines and skills. I like Vuc and Evan but we've had more than a sample size.

[cedric76]

I'm starting to become a believer, the 3pt shot might or might not come, but he's turning into an absolute wizard inside the 3pt line. That is something that breaks down defenses and gets things moving for an offense, it's something I appreciated from one of my fan favorite players, CP3, and it's great to see Fultz starting to show shades of that in his own way. I definitely look at that AG for Otto Porter idea that cedric keeps hoping for, because it is one of the only two trade ideas I actually liked for AG. JI a 7-foot 3pt corner shooter, mixing it up inside with plays and chemistry alongside Fultz more and more, Vooch another 7-foot 3pt shooter with a lot of passing and inside skill, and Fournier, Ross, and Otto as sharpshooters around Fultz. If Okeke surprises, the team is looking good while you try to properly line up assets and cap space for big-time moves down the road. There should probably be no "James Harden QB" on this team, as Vooch is a monster, JI's offense hasn't hit a ceiling yet, and even players like Fournier and Ross have their days, but I definitely see a reason to play through Fultz more and more.

Fultz / DJ
Fournier / Ross
Otto / Okeke
JI / Okeke
Vooch / Bamba / Birch

Thx u sir ☺️

[JojoSlimbiid]

He is starting to find his spots. The handles are a lot more free lately he's making a lot more different types of moves indicating comfort. He would legit be in the Morant/SGA convo is he was an average shooter from distance.