Hoops Habit
Fansided

5 players with something to prove when NBA returns

By Luke Duffy

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 22: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs drives the ball around Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on January 22, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 22: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs drives the ball around Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on January 22, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Orlando Magic
NBA (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

5. Markelle Fultz

An odd place to start you might think, and you wouldn’t be wrong. Markelle Fultz and the Orlando Magic won’t be making much postseason noise if they can even hold off the Washington Wizards to get there at all. But for Fultz personally, this is a great opportunity to show that he is all the way back from the serious derailment his career took for the first couple of years.

As we’ve already mentioned, the casual fans who are going to tune in are either not going to be familiar with Fultz, or else know that he’s the guy who forgot how to shoot a basketball properly, and who saw the team who drafted his first overall, the Philadelphia 76ers, give up on him before he ever had a chance to prove himself properly.

The Magic don’t get many chances to play on national television either (it was once this season before the stoppage of games), but there is a chance that will change with the eight games everybody will play before the postseason begins. Especially if they have to face the Wizards in a play-in tournament just to be there, which could happen.

Related Story. Patience pays off in Markelle Fultz's real rookie season. light

Fultz is still a secret to much of the league as he makes a comeback down in Florida but the thing is, if you’ve watched him at all this season, he’s actually been pretty good. His court vision and ability to control the tempo of a game are already at a high level, and defensively he has the potential to grow into a real asset on that end while being solid already.

There were the careless turnovers and nights where he looked off the pace, but given where he was 12 months ago, the improvement has been huge. Even getting on the court for opening night at all was a plus for the Magic, but it has gone well beyond that. The mid-range jumper still looks a bit odd but Fultz has a lot of confidence in it, even if the 3-point shot is not consistent yet.

All he ever needs to do is keep defenders honest with his shooting, and even more driving lanes will open up for him. This is clearly where he excels offensively, and much of the 12.1 points he has averaged this season came in that way. A real chance for Fultz to let the league know that he is going to be a problem in the next couple of years is right in front of him.