Fultz out of quarantine, roster ‘complete’ again

Guard Markelle Fultz is free from quarantine, and his Orlando Magic teammates were quite happy when they heard the news Friday morning.

“It’s huge. We feel complete,” forward Gary Clark said of Fultz’s return from a mandatory quarantine at Walt Disney World upon his rejoining the team. “Guys were joking around on our little group message. When you first get here you’ve got a 36-hour quarantine, and this morning he texted us right away, it was like, ‘I’m free.’ Everyone typed in, ‘Free Kelle. Free Kelle. My guy is free.’

“It’s huge to have him back on the court because he’s one of the floor generals, along with our other point guards. He just brings a different dynamic to our group, on and off the court, and it just feels good to have him here.”

The Magic went through a light practice Friday in the NBA bubble, and Fultz will be added to the mix slowly as he tries to catch up to the rest of the group that checked into the Grand Floridian one week before him.

“We didn’t do any contact at all. It was a very light practice. … Even at training camp, you do it. There’s days when you just do organizational and a bunch of skill work and some lifting,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said. “He was able to get through it easily. It’s just good to have him back.

“All of these things are going to be [easier to assess] over time.”

Fultz delayed his Disney World arrival to deal with a personal family matter unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said his first impressions of being inside the NBA bubble were like “going away for a summer camp.”