Orlando Magic handle business in season opener; 3 takeaways

3. Fultz looked great

By far the biggest talking point of the game was Markelle Fultz, who was the first man off the bench and looked dazzling at times during the 23 minutes he spent on the court. He racked up six points in a hurry, all of which came by attacking the paint.

The third such drive, which enabled him to start the game 3-for-3 from the field, was an acrobatic and impressive move that allowed him to create just enough space to let the ball roll in. Fultz then found Mohamed Bamba around the basket for a lob that had the crowd visibly excited.

The two have spoken about their friendship before and if they can become a lite version of the one-two punch off the bench that the LA Clippers boast, for the time being at least, then the Orlando Magic are going to be in a great place. It got better shortly thereafter, as Fultz attempted a mid-range jumper and it went in.

The shot was more difficult than it looked and there didn’t appear to be any hitch in his motion at all. This is important, because even though Fultz is clearly in a better place, some of the offseason footage of him appeared to show his jump shot still not looking totally fluid. It did on the court though and really fluid is the best way to describe his performance as a whole.

He glided up and down the court, was quick with the ball in hand and made a couple of defensive plays. He did have another spin move and jumper which didn’t go in, with audible groan from the crowd telling you how invested in him they are already. This was game No. 1 and Fultz looked, at times, great.

He finished with 12 points and six assists and most importantly of all, he looked comfortable out there. Watching him continue to grow is going to be so much fun this coming season, and the win over the Cavaliers was a great start.