2021-2022 Post-Mortem: Markelle Fultz

[Knightro]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to do a poll about every player on the roster over the next few weeks leading into the draft lotto. Looking to get some general thoughts on what the Magic should do with each player moving forward.

We'll go from the guys who played the least to the guys who played the most.

Previous Players
Bol Bol: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2183307
Jonathan Isaac: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2183985
Devin Cannady: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2184510

Markelle Fultz
-Age Next Season: 24

-Contract Status: Under Contract, 2 years, $33.5M remaining (only $2M of $17M 23-24 salary is guaranteed)

-2022-2023 Salary: $16,500,000 (fully guaranteed)

-NBA Games Played: 131

-Career Stats: 10.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .450 FG%, .262 3PT%, .708 FT%.

-Season Stats: 18 G, 20.0 MPG, 10.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.2 TOV, 1.2 PF, .474 FG%, .235 3PT%, .806 FT%

-Season Metrics: -0.1 OBPM, +0.4 DBPM, +0.2 BPM, +0.6 OFF RAPTOR, +1.5 DEF RAPTOR, +2.1 OVERALL RAPTOR



What should the Magic do with Markelle Fultz?

[Skybox]

Absolutely give him the keys in a make or break season...Suggs may eventually overtake him, but I think Fultz is really good and is still young enough with low mileage to get much better. At the very least, build his value...but I think he's our PG.

[orthoman]

Fultz is magical with the ball. Everyone on the floor benefits from him despite him not having a 3 pt. shot.

He is fun to watch and dazzles. His moves are not at the level of Kyrie Irving or LaMelo Ball, but he is really entertaining.

I hope he can stay healthy next season and yes he is our starting PG.

[Max Power]

Markelle is clearly the best guard on this team right now, even in a sample sized look, that was crystal clear. He was playing pretty well before the injury, and his injection into the lineup made the Magic look much better. His shooting weaknesses have been beaten to death on the board, but he does EVERYTHING else very well. He’s a guard who knows how to make the right play and the majestic one when opportunity knocks. I say give him the keys too, he’s earned it.

[richi_v25]

I don't think his shooting is that bad because he doesn't just jack up silly shots like Cole does so he's definitely the starter. His IQ is ahead of most on this team and thus elevates the whole squad when he's on the floor.

[RookieStar]

Watching Ja just blitz through traffic makes me think Futlz can do that as well ( especially compared to Cole, Suggs and majority of the NBA guards )

So yeah.. make him the starting PG until we find someone better

[VFX]

You either start him or trade him.

[AdamTheGreek]

Franchise starting point guard.

[RookieStar]

look, this might be unpopular to a lot of you BUT watch him when he dribbles and get to the paint. Kyrie and Ja are the only 2 guards I can think of right now like Fultz that can dribble through the trees WITHOUT picking the ball up. Sure, Ja and Kyrie are more accurate in their shots as of now but I think Fultz can get back there once he shakes off the rust.

[penny_nz]

Comfortably our best lead guard on the team right now. He starts and it's his position to lose.

[drsd]

If the Magic draft a PF, the Magic is starting a Suggs / Fultz backcourt. It is not really a discussion point line. But if the Magic drafts Ivey, then what? As one (or two) of these players then need to be traded, just pull that trigger now. In that, Fultz might be the odd man out.

..

[Bergmaniac]

I'd try to trade him, but I doubt there would be much of a market for him. If there are no takers, I'd start Suggs and have Fultz come off the bench for 20 MPG to push the pace, this suits his strengths and can increase his trade value. If we want to become a team with higher ambitions than making the playoffs as the eight seed and winning a game against all odds, we need to move on from Fultz. You can't have a point guard who can't shoot and doesn't get to the line and who takes a significant portion of the cup if you want to make noise in the playoffs.

And speaking of Ja Morant comparisons - Ja shot 20 FTs in his first game of this year's playoffs. Fultz shot 31 FTs in total this season. In his last three games he played 70 minutes, took 35 shots and shot 0 free throws. I keep harping on this because getting to the line is so crucial in this league, especially for perimeter players without a 3 point shot.

[axl_c_cool]

We have to see what we have next season in him, he is currently the best PG we have.

There is nothing wrong with Suggs coming off the bench, if we draft Ivey, or starting at the 2 for another year. The worst case is his value goes up or is set as a back up, and we trade him as one or he backs Suggs up

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[tiderulz]

I'd try to trade him, but I doubt there would be much of a market for him. If there are no takers, I'd start Suggs and have Fultz come off the bench for 20 MPG to push the pace, this suits his strengths and can increase his trade value. If we want to become a team with higher ambitions than making the playoffs as the eight seed and winning a game against all odds, we need to move on from Fultz. You can't have a point guard who can't shoot and doesn't get to the line and who takes a significant portion of the cup if you want to make noise in the playoffs.

And speaking of Ja Morant comparisons - Ja shot 20 FTs in his first game of this year's playoffs. Fultz shot 31 FTs in total this season. In his last three games he played 70 minutes, took 35 shots and shot 0 free throws. I keep harping on this because getting to the line is so crucial in this league, especially for perimeter players without a 3 point shot.

yeah, Markelle's game is not one that draws fouls.

[Xatticus]

There is no need to push him out the door while he is still under contract. He provides something that we don't otherwise have. He is vastly overcompensated though and I am very much concerned about his next contract as our front office seems to be enamored with him.

He has good size, good balance, and adequate athleticism, but he seems averse to contact. This limits him on both ends. He is a very crafty finisher when he gets to the basket, but failing that, his scoring leaves a lot to be desired. His playmaking consists almost entirely of collapsing the defense by getting into the paint and kicking the ball back out, though he has awareness enough to hit cutters that support his drives. He's pretty good at getting the ball ahead to open teammates in transition, which allows him to pick up some cheap assists. Our halfcourt offense is so bad that this actually matters.

He is almost 24 years old now and he has glaring deficiencies that severely limit him despite the fact that he is rather exceptionally skilled in some regards. He seems to have a lot of eye-of-the-beholder appeal, because his numbers have never been good, yet many around here still see him as a savior of sorts. His scoring efficiency has always been dreadful. It always will be unless he somehow learns to shoot from range and ups his FTr dramatically. When you contrast him with another flawed player like Ben Simmons, he is vastly inferior in almost every regard. I just don't see the appeal here and I really hope that his presence doesn't temper our front office's urgency to acquire legitimate playmaking.

[VFX]

I'd try to trade him, but I doubt there would be much of a market for him. If there are no takers, I'd start Suggs and have Fultz come off the bench for 20 MPG to push the pace, this suits his strengths and can increase his trade value. If we want to become a team with higher ambitions than making the playoffs as the eight seed and winning a game against all odds, we need to move on from Fultz. You can't have a point guard who can't shoot and doesn't get to the line and who takes a significant portion of the cup if you want to make noise in the playoffs.

And speaking of Ja Morant comparisons - Ja shot 20 FTs in his first game of this year's playoffs. Fultz shot 31 FTs in total this season. In his last three games he played 70 minutes, took 35 shots and shot 0 free throws. I keep harping on this because getting to the line is so crucial in this league, especially for perimeter players without a 3 point shot.

Yeah that’s the issue with Fultz. He’s not really the kind of player that should be starting point for a truly competitive team. Off the bench he’d be great.

For Orlando they are in a tough situation because he’s better for the team in the short term. However, Suggs should be getting a ton of minutes and eventually become the starting pg of this team. Pairing them doesn’t make sense and Suggs is a playmaker.

I doubt Fultz would be ok with coming off the bench in a full healthy season and I don’t know what return Fultz has right now. His contract sucks for what he provides and his next contract will probably be worse.

[Skybox]

I don't understand why he's considered a guy who doesn't draw fouls (I understand it's accurate but...). He's big, doesn't shy from contact, and is at his best dancing through traffic in the paint to finish with either hand...Maybe he's just going through that young guy stage where refs don't respect/reward him? Eye test says he should be shooting a ton of FT's - based on his style of play...am I seeing it wrong?

[Bergmaniac]

I don't understand why he's considered a guy who doesn't draw fouls (I understand it's accurate but...). He's big, doesn't shy from contact, and is at his best dancing through traffic in the paint to finish with either hand...Maybe he's just going through that young guy stage where refs don't respect/reward him? Eye test says he should be shooting a ton of FT's - based on his style of play...am I seeing it wrong?

I disagree that he doesn't shy from contact, he clearly does IMO. The contrast between him and someone like Suggs who loves contact and never shies from it is pretty blatant. It's even more obvious when you watch Fultz and then watch the elite slashers in the game who live at the line.

And Fultz has already been in the league for 5 years, so I don't think refs are mistreating him for being too young. That's just his game. In his career so far he's had more games with 0 FT attempts (33) than with 4 or more FT attempts (27). His career high in FT attempts in a game is 8. For a guy whose main scoring strength is getting to the rim this is absolutely brutal.

[OrlChamps2030]

I liked what I saw down the stretch from Fultz, and he is clearly the best PG on the roster, but I don’t think he’s done enough to be seen as a “franchise PG” or a guy you build around. He should be the starting PG day 1 next season though. I’m still a bit skeptical of the Fultz-Suggs fit.

[pepe1991]

Majority of his data mirrors Reggie Jackson, PG most people don't want near their teams.
Much like Jackson, he can get 13-15 ppg & 5-6 assist over 30 min a game but it's not exponentionally well runned offense and due his inability to draw enough fouls his inability to shoot becomes unfixable obstacle.

People above already said it all.

It's pointless to expect player who spent half of a decade in nba to return next year and fix shot or start drawing fouls like Trae Young. It is not part of his game.
And since his skillset is overlapping with Magic current 5th overall pick, imo, trading him in near future is better scenario than benching Suggs to keep pretending Fultz is something he is not.

People overthink his mid range game. Teams want him to take shots he is taking because even if he hits some 42% from mid range ( and he can't, we talk about career sub 40% mid range shooter) he still only nets you 0,82 ppp , witch is brtutal. Teams bricking 30% for 3 still nets more value ( 0,99 ppp).