Markelle Fultz Updates Thread

[thelead]

There is also objective chance that he, much like Lonzo, Winslow, Derrick Williams and many others, was never "elite" shooter, just a guy who cought fire in right moment and that took his career ( and expetations) in one direction.
Elite shooters don't shoot 65% FTs.

Who called him an elite ‘shooter’? He had/has the ability to become an elite scorer but I don’t recall anyone saying he was an elite shooter.

[pepe1991]

There is also objective chance that he, much like Lonzo, Winslow, Derrick Williams and many others, was never "elite" shooter, just a guy who cought fire in right moment and that took his career ( and expetations) in one direction.
Elite shooters don't shoot 65% FTs.

Who called him an elite ‘shooter’? He had/has the ability to become an elite scorer but I don’t recall anyone saying he was an elite shooter.

Read his scouting reports,

Draft express had this

; he has a deadly pull-up jumper off of the hesitation move, similar to the way Kevin Durant used this move so effectively at Texas

[Rainwater]

There is also objective chance that he, much like Lonzo, Winslow, Derrick Williams and many others, was never "elite" shooter, just a guy who cought fire in right moment and that took his career ( and expetations) in one direction.
Elite shooters don't shoot 65% FTs.

Who called him an elite ‘shooter’? He had/has the ability to become an elite scorer but I don’t recall anyone saying he was an elite shooter.

He was one of the best shooters in college when he came out, I don't know what the **** happened him. I don't know how you suddenly lose the best aspect of your game like that.

[j-ragg]

I thought he would be a great NBA shooter. Not just his 3p% in college but so many of them were created off the bounce. Who knows if something extra happened but it’d make for a great 30 for 30 if some new story came out in 20 years.

[ezzzp]

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[thelead]

There is also objective chance that he, much like Lonzo, Winslow, Derrick Williams and many others, was never "elite" shooter, just a guy who cought fire in right moment and that took his career ( and expetations) in one direction.
Elite shooters don't shoot 65% FTs.

Who called him an elite ‘shooter’? He had/has the ability to become an elite scorer but I don’t recall anyone saying he was an elite shooter.

He was one of the best shooters in college when he came out, I don't know what the **** happened him. I don't know how you suddenly lose the best aspect of your game like that.

I think the FT% was telling and didn’t think he would be a lights out 3 point shooter but I did/do expect him to become a lethal mid-range shooter and eventually become a good 3 pt shooter. To me, he was special because of his handle, mid-range shot and his passing.

I think he’s just rusty and will figure it out. It might take a few months though.

[KillMonger]

I don't think he's gotten his sea legs yet. I think that after a few more games you should shake the rust off and be a more effective player. His free throws look fine so I would think he could be a respectable shooter.

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[Knightro]

There is also objective chance that he, much like Lonzo, Winslow, Derrick Williams and many others, was never "elite" shooter, just a guy who cought fire in right moment and that took his career ( and expetations) in one direction.
Elite shooters don't shoot 65% FTs.

Who called him an elite ‘shooter’? He had/has the ability to become an elite scorer but I don’t recall anyone saying he was an elite shooter.

Read his scouting reports,

Draft express had this

; he has a deadly pull-up jumper off of the hesitation move, similar to the way Kevin Durant used this move so effectively at Texas

To be fair, this tidbit from Draft Express scouting report doesn't say Fultz was deadly from beyond the 3PT line.

Fultz was a very effective midrange shooter at Washington, particularly off a hang/hesitation dribble.

[ezzzp]

here's his shot chart:

[PrimeThyme]

See, anything Fultz did shooting wise in college is completely irrelevant in my eyes. This isnt a case of a player's shooting just not translating to the NBA (like Lonzo for example). This is a case of a player coming into the league and completely changing his shot mechanics. We know he did this the summer before entering the league. You can debate the reasons why he did it all you want (I think he got injured and did it out out of necessity), but the fact of the matter is that he did.

Now we are in a lot of ways starting from ground zero with him. A 3pt shot isnt even a part of his skill set right now. He is a long way away from it being a part of his game imo too. In the meantime, I think he will continue to get more comfortable taking that mid-range shot and finishing around the basket.

[Bonafide89]

He seems a little too herky jerky for his own good. Like, old D-Rose used to have that style but it was kind of selective, mostly when he was driving or stop-starting when continuing a dribble, but Markelle consistently seems like his head is too big or something. Just needs to play more patient and use movement wisely instead of wasting it.

You can see what makes Fultz so potentially special though. The game does look like it comes easy to him...he can get off any shot he wants. He has good playmaking skills, he can rebound, he has the tools to become an excellent defender.

Right now, it's all about him finding a rhythm offensively, and getting comfortable with shooting jump shots in games. He definitely needs to slow down a bit...keep in mind he's basically a rookie.

It's just good to see him on the court making an impact.

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[fendilim]

I wouldnt say he voluntarily changed his shot tho. I dont think anyone is that stupid to put their career on the line.

I truly believe his shot changed because of the tos. Not because he just wanted it. He changed it because of the circumstances.

[PrimeThyme]

I wouldnt say he voluntarily changed his shot tho. I dont think anyone is that stupid to put their career on the line.

I truly believe his shot changed because of the tos. Not because he just wanted it. He changed it because of the circumstances.

I would agree. It's not really voluntarily changing it if you get injured. I think his mechanics changed out of necessity due to injury the summer before the draft, but the following summer he worked with Hanlen and reworked his entire shot. Especially his 3pt shot.

Some believe otherwise though. Bryan Colangelo (former Sixers GM) was on record tweeting off one of his burner accounts that Fultz's original trainer voluntarily changed his shot mechanics the summer he got drafted. A lot of people in the Philly organization believed that is what happened and that it lead to a loss in confidence by Fultz.

Regardless, he has a different shot now then he did in college. So any of his shooting numbers in college are completely irrelevant.

[Blue_and_Whte]

I don't think he's gotten his sea legs yet. I think that after a few more games you should shake the rust off and be a more effective player. His free throws look fine so I would think he could be a respectable shooter.

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I would say this is a fair assessment considering how long hes been away from game action. Everyone needs to relax and give him an effing chance.

[JBSouthpaw]

I don't think he's gotten his sea legs yet. I think that after a few more games you should shake the rust off and be a more effective player. His free throws look fine so I would think he could be a respectable shooter.

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I would say this is a fair assessment considering how long hes been away from game action. Everyone needs to relax and give him an effing chance.

Yep, his mediocre game is still better than Grant's best!

[Knightro]

The Good and Bad of Markelle Fultz in Preseason

THE GOOD
-He's making a positive impact on the floor.
Fultz's +3.6 NET is the 5th best of the Magic's 13 guaranteed contract players and the 3rd best of guys who've played all 5 preseason games. Even with the last two games being blowout losses, Fultz still has a strong NET which is a good sign.

-He's a very skilled and capable passer.
Fultz is averaging 7.9 AST per 36 with a 32.4 AST%. That ranks No. 1 on the team. His AST% would have ranked No. 1 on the Magic last season would have ranked No. 15 in the entire NBA.

-He's capable of turning defense into offense.
While Fultz hasn't been a statistically strong defender in the preseason, he is averaging 3.2 STL per 36 which is a tremendously high number. The Magic were 26th in the league last year in steals, just 6.6 per game, and can really help out their offensive struggles by getting easy points in transition off turnovers.

-He doesn't need to be set up by anyone else to score.
His finishing and shooting haven't been there yet, but 73.3% of Fultz's field goals made have been unassisted, the most on the team by a massive margin in the preseason and also that figure would have ranked No. 1 on last year's Magic as well.

-Hit FT stroke *looks* fine.
It's a very small sample size, but Fultz has made 5-7 FTs and has shown no signs of a hitch from the line. A .714% isn't spectacular, but it's a lot more tenable and workable than his .534 career mark.

THE BAD
-He's shooting the ball *terribly* right now.
There's no real way to slice this in a positive way. 31.9 eFG%, 34.9 TS%. 0-5 from three. The fact that his offensive rating is still 102.7 with these horrific shooting numbers is a testament to his passing abilities and his skill in transition.

-He's still an unwilling shooter from any sort of distance.
Fultz isn't afraid to shoot the ball. He's averaging a shade under 17 FGAs per 36 minutes. Unfortunately, he is still very hesitant to shoot threes at just 1.8 3PTA per 36 minutes. It's just going to be very difficult to maintain a consistent offense when the player playing on the ball is no threat to shoot outside of 15 feet.

-Despite improved an improved stroke, he still appears a little hesitant to attacking the rim with foul drawing aggressiveness.
2.5 FTA per 36 minutes is not going to work for someone who attacks as often as he does. I would like to see him trade in some of the really difficult twisting circus style layup attempts we've seen for him just getting into the defenders chest and drawing contact. I do think he'll eventually start drawing more whistles if he keeps attacking at the rate he has been, but it does appear to my untrained eyes that he's still trying to avoid contact at the rim in a lot of cases.

[zaymon]

I think Fultz unwillingnes to shoot the 3 is part of the rehab strategy. His midrange form is good and shooting threes with bad form isnt great for his development. I dont think its self confidance thing, more likely not enough strentgh and/or muscle memory after being injured. If he can mix driving and shooting midrange shots this year and add reliable 3 point shooting next year i am ok with it.

[Tarheel]

The fact that he is a good positive contributor at this stage is encouraging, especially without the shot. Means that there is less pressure on him to regain his shooting stroke immediately.

He has the intangibles that you can't teach, like reading the game and manipulating defences. The rest can be learned. If he is able to regain his shot, he'll be a very good player.

[yoyojw17]

The fact that he is a good positive contributor at this stage is encouraging, especially without the shot. Means that there is less pressure on him to regain his shooting stroke immediately.

He has the intangibles that you can't teach, like reading the game and manipulating defences. The rest can be learned. If he is able to regain his shot, he'll be a very good player.

He had a shot in college... might have just not been the sexiest of shots. The reason people are freaking out about his shooting is because of the effects of the mystery injury... which has now been solved. Therefore in my head... as a healthy player... I am hoping that he is back on track for whatever trajectory he was capable of before. Praying and hoping that that is all star quality player. hahah... well better be since i picked him in all my fantasy leagues.

[Blue_and_Whte]

I think the offense will come to him but he does need to shoot open threes regardless of the outcome otherwise you're just bailing out the defense.