2021-2022 Post-Mortem: Markelle Fultz

[Skybox]

I love the way Fultz plays. He's, by a mile, our best ball handler and offensive initiator. He just can't shoot...surrounded by multiple shooting threats, he could score 20 ppg just by getting to the rim and the line (which needs to start happening). Can he and Suggs co-exist? I guess the real question is "Can Suggs develop into a legit Shooting Guard?" I really hope so, but so far-not so good. I see some people listing Fultz at SG and I laugh. Suggs and Fultz clearly are worthy of a full year of development and evaluation...I think Suggs will find his scoring and settle down but I just don't know if that makes him a SG or if we're compromising both if our long term plans don't change. I'm a big fan of both but...I like the idea of synergy between complementary players more.

If our best 3 players (politely projecting progress for Cole) are all CLEARLY PG's, how long do we wait to shuffle things?

[VFX]

I love the way Fultz plays. He's, by a mile, our best ball handler and offensive initiator. He just can't shoot...surrounded by multiple shooting threats, he could score 20 ppg just by getting to the rim and the line (which needs to start happening). Can he and Suggs co-exist? I guess the real question is "Can Suggs develop into a legit Shooting Guard?" I really hope so, but so far-not so good. I see some people listing Fultz at SG and I laugh. Suggs and Fultz clearly are worthy of a full year of development and evaluation...I think Suggs will find his scoring and settle down but I just don't know if that makes him a SG or if we're compromising both if our long term plans don't change. I'm a big fan of both but...I like the idea of synergy between complementary players more.

If our best 3 players (politely projecting progress for Cole) are all CLEARLY PG's, how long do we wait to shuffle things?

The answer to this question is that they shouldn’t wait to shuffle things. I come to this conclusion based on the contracts and timeframe.

Fultz - 3/$17m
Suggs - 4/$6.5m

Fultz returning from injury and putting up numbers, as the likely starting pg on a team with limited offense, will undoubtedly boost his value. That window will probably close by the middle of next season with a few years left on his deal. He should be moved when that value caps for other assets, especially if the draft gods aren’t kind to Orlando.

Suggs isn’t a shooting guard despite the convenient lineups people want to throw out. He’s definitely not one playing next to Fultz in a potential back court incapable of stretching the floor. His value is being the best defender on the court and his playmaking.

Fultz isn’t the greatest defensively, doesn’t get to the line, doesn’t stretch the floor, and has a pretty rich contract despite those facts. Being the best initiator for this current roster isn’t saying much considering that’s the only thing he does moderately well.

[Xatticus]

I love the way Fultz plays. He's, by a mile, our best ball handler and offensive initiator. He just can't shoot...surrounded by multiple shooting threats, he could score 20 ppg just by getting to the rim and the line (which needs to start happening). Can he and Suggs co-exist? I guess the real question is "Can Suggs develop into a legit Shooting Guard?" I really hope so, but so far-not so good. I see some people listing Fultz at SG and I laugh. Suggs and Fultz clearly are worthy of a full year of development and evaluation...I think Suggs will find his scoring and settle down but I just don't know if that makes him a SG or if we're compromising both if our long term plans don't change. I'm a big fan of both but...I like the idea of synergy between complementary players more.

If our best 3 players (politely projecting progress for Cole) are all CLEARLY PG's, how long do we wait to shuffle things?

How is Fultz averaging 20 ppg a good thing? He has been a woefully inefficient scorer for the entirety of his NBA career thus far. He hit 50% of his 2-point field goal attempts, but he was still very inefficient because he doesn't shoot threes and he doesn't get to the free throw line. That's not a guy you want on high usage. He averaged nearly 16 2-point field goal attempts per 36 minutes. That is a massive number.

[Skybox]

I love the way Fultz plays. He's, by a mile, our best ball handler and offensive initiator. He just can't shoot...surrounded by multiple shooting threats, he could score 20 ppg just by getting to the rim and the line (which needs to start happening). Can he and Suggs co-exist? I guess the real question is "Can Suggs develop into a legit Shooting Guard?" I really hope so, but so far-not so good. I see some people listing Fultz at SG and I laugh. Suggs and Fultz clearly are worthy of a full year of development and evaluation...I think Suggs will find his scoring and settle down but I just don't know if that makes him a SG or if we're compromising both if our long term plans don't change. I'm a big fan of both but...I like the idea of synergy between complementary players more.

If our best 3 players (politely projecting progress for Cole) are all CLEARLY PG's, how long do we wait to shuffle things?

How is Fultz averaging 20 ppg a good thing? He has been a woefully inefficient scorer for the entirety of his NBA career thus far. He hit 50% of his 2-point field goal attempts, but he was still very inefficient because he doesn't shoot threes and he doesn't get to the free throw line. That's not a guy you want on high usage. He averaged nearly 16 2-point field goal attempts per 36 minutes. That is a massive number.

I'm not talking about ball-dominating bad shots (See Cole Anthony), the image I had was an opportunistic abuser of one on one coverage in the lane because others can shoot 3's. Pick your poison...leave a shooter open for 3 or watch Fultz dance around, over, or through an overmatched guard on the way to the rim. He'll have to get to the line more...it makes no sense that such an athletic, physical, ambidextrous force around the rim isn't getting calls...20 might be too optimistic, but Westbrook & DeRozan (notoriously ineffective shooters from deep) routinely scored a lot more than that. My assumption/hope would be that 10+ assists would come with it. I'm not drawing the attacks of "You're suggesting we build around Fultz!!!"...I'm not, but we should be upgrading our 3pt shooting at every position and he's at the spot that could benefit most from other shooters. If Suggs starts hitting 35% from deep and not turning the ball over every third possession, Fultz is history.

[pepe1991]

Cole is ball dominant and takes bad shots.... But Fultz isn't ? Despite very close usage rate and identical efficiency? Despite fact one spent 5 years in nba , second spent 2?

People are so desparate to paint Fultz into some "star" because team didn't have star guard in ages that they project career 11 ppg-50% TS into one because he looks flashy ( but isn't effective, nor showed ability to be positive contributor at any point of his career).

Fultz is Dennis Schroder/ Reggie Jackson type of guard. High usage, poor efficiency guy who does not streaches floor, does not go to FT line, witch means most of his points come from mid range and ability to break defense off dribble. Second part almost never works in playoffs, even for superathletes like Morant or Westbrook & Wall in past.

If we reach point where Fultz indeed puts 20 points,8 -10 assists a game, it will 100% mean two things:
1) it comes at expense of offense and team record is flat out pathetic
2) any serious offensive option left on that team is nursing season ending injuries

Fultz being "best Magic guard" means as much as being "best Pistons playmaker", who is fastest snail? Does it really matter?
Suggs has been awful and is just rookie, Hampton was filler dump and is sophmore, Cole wasn't lottery pick and is sophmore. If you are so blown by Fultz ask yourself simple question- would he be starter on any currentlly active playoff team. If answer is no ( and indeed , answer is no) so why da f*** would i care about him, knowing that after half of a decade he is still not even starter on above average team?

[Skybox]

Cole is ball dominant and takes bad shots.... But Fultz isn't ? Despite very close usage rate and identical efficiency? Despite fact one spent 5 years in nba , second spent 2?

People are so desparate to paint Fultz into some "star" because team didn't have star guard in ages that they project career 11 ppg-50% TS into one because he looks flashy ( but isn't effective, nor showed ability to be positive contributor at any point of his career).

Fultz is Dennis Schroder/ Reggie Jackson type of guard. High usage, poor efficiency guy who does not streaches floor, does not go to FT line, witch means most of his points come from mid range and ability to break defense off dribble. Second part almost never works in playoffs, even for superathletes like Morant or Westbrook & Wall in past.

If we reach point where Fultz indeed puts 20 points,8 -10 assists a game, it will 100% mean two things:
1) it comes at expense of offense and team record is flat out pathetic
2) any serious offensive option left on that team is nursing season ending injuries

I don't think Fultz is a "star", he could be a role player with a very clear job - driving and kicking teams to death. If he can't get to the line, there's no chance...but, again, to me that's a mystery given his playing style. That's an unusual role player, but he's really good at it. IF he could shoot well from deep, he's absolutely a star. I'm not even banking on that - I fully expect Suggs to overtake him this season and I hope we'll have the luxury of choosing among two strong PG's rather than the three severely flawed ones we've seen this year (not even counting RJ ).