Orlando Magic: Markelle Fultz had an excellent “rookie” season

Despite serious question marks on whether he could ever make it in the NBA, Markelle Fultz had a brilliant first season with the Orlando Magic.

It would be fair to say that coming into this season, the Orlando Magic and their fans weren’t totally sure what they were getting with Markelle Fultz. Acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in a move that saw them only give up Jonathon Simmons and some second-round picks, the deal was seen as a low-risk move no matter what happened.

By the time the Magic exited the bubble, however, it was clear that not only was the move for Fultz a great one, but he looked like he could be their point guard for the foreseeable future. How did Fultz manage to shatter the modest expectations that were put in place, and how excited should we be about the next few seasons with him running the team?

A necessary place to start is by again highlighting that the phrase “modest expectations” is absolutely the right wording here. We didn’t know up until the regular season was only a couple of weeks away if Fultz would get back on the court in at all. Then came a surprising media day hosted by the Magic, designed purely to show Fultz off.

So while the numbers that he finished the regular season with (a shade over 12 points and 5 assists a night) don’t jump off the page, the fact Fultz was out there at all, and for as often as he was, meant that expectations were already surpassed early in the year. What was more of a shock though was how quickly Fultz usurped D.J. Augustin for the starting point guard job.

At 32, Augustin’s best days are behind him, but he has turned himself into a cult hero with Magic fans. Their most beloved point guard since Jameer Nelson left, however, that is not saying a lot. But for Fultz to take less than 10 games to become the starter signaled that the coaching staff believed he was ready to contribute in a meaningful way early.

With that came the ups and downs you would expect from a young player, and somebody who to that point had only appeared in 33 games across two seasons for the 76ers. For the most part, though, there was a steadiness and usually a consistency to the way Fultz played that allowed him to settle into his surroundings quickly.

Given that it looked like he’d forgotten how to shoot a year previously, this in itself was a big development. That calmness and fluidity to the game of Fultz, never appearing to be rushed or flustered into making a silly mistake or taking an ill-advised shot. That too would have been enough, to facilitate the other guys on the team and get them going, but Fultz wanted more.

The mechanics of his shot don’t always look perfect, but the willingness of Fultz to actually take shots was great to see. In particular, the midrange shots that he hits with confidence once he has snaked his way into the paint. The midrange game itself may be all but dead, but Magic fans didn’t mind seeing Fultz pull up and take these shots after creating space for himself in the paint.

To begin the season defenders didn’t pay too much attention to these shots, but by year’s end, it was a different story. They were being contested with vigor, which allowed Fultz to find the open man around him. It is so encouraging to see Fultz able to shoot from many different locations on the floor, but the prevailing feeling is that passing and defending are going to be his calling cards.

Fultz’s time in the NBA bubble with the Orlando Magic

Once the playoffs came round, and although the Orlando Magic were taken care of in five games by the Milwaukee Bucks, Fultz did about as well as expected. He chipped in again with 12.1 points and 5.1 assists per game and wasn’t fazed by the added pressure of playing in the postseason, even if the lack of a hostile reception in Milwaukee probably helped in that regard.

To hit some 3-pointers in the series was a bonus, and really the only complaint that Magic fans had by the time the series was done was the fact that they didn’t see more of Fultz. Nikola Vucevic was amazing in those games, the center easily the organization’s best player, but when Fultz was on the court good things usually happened as well.

Although the advanced numbers regarding the Orlando Magic’s offensive and defensive ratings when Fultz was out there are not good, it was clear when watching him that he is going to be an above-average defender at the guard position. He is of stout build and is not easily knocked off his spots.

When you factor in the unexpected return to some sort of shooting consistency, the calmness to his play, the on-ball defending and ability read the defense and make a pass, it is clear that the first full season of Markelle Fultz in the NBA, one in which he started 65 of 78 games played, was a resounding success. There is plenty of reason for optimism going forward too.