Orlando Magic: Who will step up with Jonathan Isaac gone?

2. Markelle Fultz

The great thing about the Magic landing Markelle Fultz was that they gave up very little to acquire him: Jonathon Simmons and a couple of second-round picks. This meant that Fultz could rehab his injured shoulder and try and work himself into an NBA ready player away from Philadelphia, where the 76ers selected him as a first overall pick.

So far, all has gone according to plan. Fultz was ready to go from the jump this season, and quickly replaced D.J. Augustin as the team’s starter. In doing so he has looked controlled on the ball, is never rushed and has a midrange game and ability to get into the paint which people continue to sleep on.

He hasn’t had it all his own way however, there have been quiet nights and needless turnovers. But year one of Fultz in Orlando has gone better than anybody could have expected. This was achieved partly because there has never been any pressure on Fultz to deliver, therefore he has. But what if the organization were to expect more from him?

Fultz so far has been excellent at playing within the team. That is, he will cede offensive control to Vucevic frequently and has no problem getting out of the way for Evan Fournier or Aaron Gordon to go to work. Again, and it cannot be stressed enough, this is all a positive because it shows how quickly Fultz has gotten used to playing with the Magic while not doing too much.

He also appears to be a popular figure on the roster as well. But there is now an opportunity here to ramp up his usage and productivity, especially offensively. On the defensive end, Fultz is far from bad either, although as with all players here he is not Isaac. As a point guard, he defends vastly different players to Isaac too.