Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz missed over a year because of injury and hadn’t even played with most of his teammates prior to this season, but the group welcomed him back with open arms this week.
Fultz suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Jan. 6, 2021, and went through a rigorous rehabilitation to return to the court. He eventually was cleared to play this week and made his season debut on Monday in a win over the Indiana Pacers.
The former No. 1 pick recorded 10 points, six assists and two rebounds in 16 minutes of action on Monday. He showed little signs of rust in that outing and looked to be as explosive as ever in getting into the paint and setting up his teammates.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley expected that performance from him.
He’s always been capable of that. His creativity, vision, passing, selflessness — being able to find his teammates — is always something that he has always been able to do. He has got such unbelievable vision at knowing what is going on in the game.
Fultz had only been alongside five Magic players previously in a game with the rest of his teammates joining the team after he was injured last season. The newcomers were warned to constantly be looking for the ball given his elite court vision.
“A lot of people told me: ‘Whenever he’s driving to the hole, just put your hands up. The ball may be coming,'” Wendell Carter Jr. said. “You might not think you’re open but he’ll find a way to get you the ball. When that’s the problem, I feel like that’s a really good problem to have. Everybody understands what kinda player he is.”
the pass 😈@MarkelleF 🤝 @wendellcarter34
📺: https://t.co/8OfSVZlEm9 pic.twitter.com/rTUkRuSDEJ
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 3, 2022
Fultz produced 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 15 minutes of work on Wednesday in a loss to the Pacers. He once again found success penetrating into the paint, while also creating for himself in the right situation.
The outing was the second of the season for Fultz and the newcomers. He appears to have found a nice two-man game with rookie Franz Wagner in the early going. Fultz has hit Wagner on a few occasions already on the move, a connection that Mo Bamba believes will continue to flourish.
“I think one underrated duo that no one is talking about probably is Franz and ‘Kelle,” Bamba said. “The type of passer that ‘Kelle is and the type of cutter that Franz is, it’s a lot of easy baskets for guys.”
Said Wagner:
He can get into the lane pretty much whenever he wants to. He is really crafty in there. You gotta have your hands ready. I’m going to look to cut. We gotta look to spray it out and be ready to shoot from the outside. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
Markelle to Franz 😈
📺: https://t.co/zXcPII18xR pic.twitter.com/8Jr6LCJ5hI
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 1, 2022
The connection between Fultz and the Magic will only continue to grow. The team is keeping him on a minutes count in the early going as he has mostly played with the second unit. He will continue to see a heavier workload, and could even return to the starting lineup.
Fultz had been playing some of his best basketball prior to his injury last season, and appears to be nearing that level once again. He has endured a path filled with plenty of twists and turns to this point, but looks to be once again on the rise and his teammates couldn’t be happier for him.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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