Markelle Fultz is out here getting triple-doubles and manhandling LeBron James

His future is so bright again.

Markelle Fultz spent Wednesday night living up to the hype that came with him being drafted No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft — he ended up with a triple-double (21 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in a stunning Orlando Magic upset of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Of course, we all know the saga started with the Philadelphia 76ers taking him with the top pick and ended with the struggling guard getting shipped out to the Magic at last year’s trade deadline for Jonathon Simmons, a second-rounder and a 2020 first-round pick. At the time, the deal looked like a risk-free, nothing-but-upside trade for Orlando.

Now? Fultz is flashing all that potential and then some. Look at what he did to James on Wednesday:

That impressed the heck out of James:

Back to the Sixers for a second: they don’t deserve to completely slammed for trading Fultz when his value was at its lowest. I don’t know if he ever would have succeeded in Philly — it seemed like a change of scenery and a second chance was the only way to jump-start his career. So Philadelphia ended up getting something for Fultz, who didn’t play a single game since November of 2018 until he was a member of the Magic.

But in hindsight? This is a rough one, to say the least. Fultz is now just a 21-year-old starting to show he can really play, with enough confidence to go toe-to-toe with James.

This might be the moment we saw Fultz really start the road to stardom. The future is back to being as bright as it was on draft night in 2017.

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