Magic are .500 with Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony in the lineup(beaten Raptorstwice, Clippers and Hawks.)

[The-Stallion70]

Amazing what having real guards on the floor does for your team.

[thelead]

shhh... Markelle is supposed to be terrible according to most of this board

[thelead]

And for the record.... the same crow will likely be eaten for the JI blasphemy spouted.

[PrimeThyme]

I'm pretty sure we have a greater than <.500 win % with Fultz as our starter as well.

Honestly, outside of his injury history, theres nothing bad I can say about him considering what we pay him. He plays 150% on both ends of the court and is diving for balls whether we are down 10 or up 30. The kid has a great heart and it's a story that I'm still rooting for. There's definitely a case for him being the best lead guard we've had since Jameer.

With all that said though, I still do not see him as the long-term answer. When this team is ready to truly contend I think they will make a move for one in free agency or on the trade market.

[NavalAviator94]

I’m just looking forward to him playing. His growth starts now and I think there’s a lot of upside.


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[drsd]

shhh... Markelle is supposed to be terrible according to most of this board

On offense, Fultz is THE PG to work next to F-Wagner and Banchero. Suggs defense might not be enough to start, given that the fundamentals of his shooting simply aren't there.

Right now: I would keep Fultz and trade Suggs. (Orlando can't keep both).

As for Anthony, he projects as a 10-year journeyman player in the NBA. He brings good bench energy. But there is little for him to stay in Orlando for. I fully expect Anthony to be playing for NY-1 or NY-2 in 3-years time.


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[Bensational]

I’ve got a soft spot for Fultz and want to see him make a comeback.

The splits don’t look great for him right now. In wins he plays a smaller role, with a USG of 19%, vs 24% in losses. He’s shooting lights out in wins, but only taking 6 shots a game. In losses he takes 10, and isn’t bad in efficiency but isn’t great (44%fg / 33% 3fg). Rebounds and assists are the same.

Summary - he’s doing better when taking a smaller role (in 3 out of 7 games).

Cole has been scorching hot since returning from injury. He really seems to be owning a sixth man spark plug role. It’s bizarre to suddenly have quality depth in the guards, but it’s working for us.

[fendilim]

shhh... Markelle is supposed to be terrible according to most of this board

On offense, Fultz is THE PG to work next to F-Wagner and Banchero. Suggs defense might not be enough to start, given that the fundamentals of his shooting simply aren't there.

Right now: I would keep Fultz and trade Suggs. (Orlando can't keep both).

As for Anthony, he projects as a 10-year journeyman player in the NBA. He brings good bench energy. But there is little for him to stay in Orlando for. I fully expect Anthony to be playing for NY-1 or NY-2 in 3-years time.


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i’d rather move Cole.

Fultz is more of a wildcard. His effectiveness on the court remains to be seen when matters the most - the playoffs. Teams tend to exploit every weakness there is during the playoffs and we’ll have to see if Markelle can make them pay for leaving him open.

[Magic_Kingdom]

Fultz is not perfect, and I have no clue what metrics say about his time on the court. But there’s no denying the team is more competitive when he’s in the lineup. The team just looks different. Part of it is that he’s the only true PG on the roster so it could only go up.I don’t worry about the inconsistency because he’s still rusty.

Can he stay healthy though? We’ll see.

[Skybox]

I love what Fultz does when he's doing it and he's a blast on the break...but I just don't know what the ceiling is for this team with a non-shooter at PG. The elite guys in this era score in bunches and spread the floor. Even if we put a Huerter-type next to him, I just don't know how far this team can go with defenders doubling off of Fultz in the half-court offense. Like Suggs, if he could just get that one spot (corner 3?) like, for example D. Brooks or PJ Tucker, where he can't be cheated off of, the long term picture changes considerably. If he can't, what he does well isn't enough to take this otherwise promising team very far, IMO.

Scoot's not really a proven shooter either, but he projects to score in bunches. I really hope Fultz can do that too.

[basketballRob]

4-0 since Bamba came back.

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[VFX]

Amazing what having real guards on the floor does for your team.

By “real” do you mean no defense and available to play 1/3 of every season as one of the top paid players on the roster?

[MagicManMike]

And for the record.... the same crow will likely be eaten for the JI blasphemy spouted.

I’m curious if you think JI can play/guard the SG like they are having Bol do?

From a depth chart perspective we are set at Center with the three guys we have. Probably have to trade Bamba. At PF you have Pablo and I assume you have JI back up both the SF & PF position.

Bol is a unicorn and can play four positions easily so depending on the way he is playing and who the other team puts on the floor.

From the PG position I am really liking Fultz as the starter, I have a lot of cringe moments with Cole as the backup. Almost hoping we can draft Scoot and trade Cole.

And heck I have not even put Suggs on this list. I am not sure if he is the prototype SG or the bigger PG. I’d rather trade Cole and have Suggs back up Fultz and also play SG.

But back to your statement about JI. He is definitely an asset. Looked like he was on the cusp of unlocking his potential as a starter. Where will he fit now?

[MagicManMike]

Amazing what having real guards on the floor does for your team.

By “real” do you mean no defense and available to play 1/3 of every season as one of the top paid players on the roster?

You’re crazy, Fultz can play defense very well. Cole sucks at it. I think Fultz from the first game he came back was hesitant not sure about how hard to go on his knee. Last night he turned it up and showed what he can do.

[VFX]

Fultz has had 2 games total where he looked good. Last night and the first game against the Raptors.

Magic look good because Franz and Paolo are playing out of their minds right now.

[Anti Chalmers]

I seriously cannot wait for JI to come back. Really wanna see what this young squad can do at full strength. I was ready for it to be a long boring season but Fultz made it enjoyable again.

[eyriq]

I seriously cannot wait for JI to come back. Really wanna see what this young squad can do at full strength. I was ready for it to be a long boring season but Fultz made it enjoyable again.

Seconded on JI. He was a defensive impact player when healthy and should be a very nice compliment to Franz and Paolo.

[JojoSlimbiid]

Fultz has had 2 games total where he looked good. Last night and the first game against the Raptors.

Magic look good because Franz and Paolo are playing out of their minds right now.

What? Paolo looked much better early on in the season than he does now and it didn't lead to anything. Franz is playing much better now sure and that's because he doesn't have to pound the rock and pretend to be a player he isn't.

[Optimus_Steel]

Fultz has had 2 games total where he looked good. Last night and the first game against the Raptors.

Magic look good because Franz and Paolo are playing out of their minds right now.

What? Paolo looked much better early on in the season than he does now and it didn't lead to anything. Franz is playing much better now sure and that's because he doesn't have to pound the rock and pretend to be a player he isn't.

Young teams don't tend to win alot and the team was so freaking fragmented with all the guards injured, balance was out of whack.

[JF5]

Fultz has had 2 games total where he looked good. Last night and the first game against the Raptors.

Magic look good because Franz and Paolo are playing out of their minds right now.

This is simply incorrect Franz and Paolo probably played a lot better individually the first 20 games of the season when Fultz/Suggs/Cole were all in and out of the lineup.

They had the ball more in their hands and were able to score at will but they were losing. Now the last 7-10+ games when Fultz/Anthony came back and when Paolo has come back down after his injury and defenses have more game tape now have begun to key in on the duo more they haven't looked as impressive.

The team has looked a lot more structured and poised, and the offense has a lot more variety with more options. What I will say about Paolo and Franz is that they've gotten better team wise as they're able to get their points through the offense and their defense has improved as well.

It's a strange take to say a team hasn't gotten better with a guy when clearly they've done something with him that they haven't done in 2 years. Also, that same guy was there when they won 4 straight too 2 years prior. This is not coincidence.

Also, Fultz's defense has been stellar so far. That's surprised me the most since he's returned.