Clifford: Fultz is ready to start in playoffs
PG worked on his conditioning after a late arrival to bubble
While the Orlando Magic appear to be moving closer to a healthier rotation as their playoff series with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks draws near, one lineup adjustment is set.
Magic coach Steve Clifford said he’ll shift Markelle Fultz back into the starting point guard spot for the playoffs.
D.J. Augustin started in seven of the Magic’s eight seeding games while Fultz worked to catch up with his conditioning after a late arrival to the NBA campus at Disney World. Fultz started the Magic’s final seeding game.
Clifford’s hope is to reform the playing rotations the Magic were using before the season was suspended in March. While he’ll need Aaron Gordon and Michael CarterWilliams to be healthy to do that, Clifford can start shifting in that direction by swapping Fultz and Augustin.
“That’s when we were playing at a high level on offense,” Clifford said of his pre-pandemic player rotations. “This was all planned out beforehand. I liked our groups and we were playing at a high level and we are trying to get back to that.”
Gordon (left hamstring strain) participated in the offensive and defensive drills the team went through on Sunday. Clifford said he did not put his team through any contact work.
Clifford said Gordon’s presence gave the Magic a boost.
“It was great to have him out there. Definitely uplifting for everybody,” the
“I liked our groups, and we were playing at a high level and we are trying to get back to that.”
— Steve Clifford, Magic coach
coach said of Gordon, who missed the team’s final four seeding games with his injury. Gordon will be evaluated again before Monday’s practice.
“If he feels good he’ll be able to practice tomorrow, and if he gets through that then we’re hopeful that he’ll be able to play on Tuesday,” Clifford said.
The Magic got shooting guards Evan Fournier (illness) and Terrence Ross (stomach ailment) back on Saturday and the two fully participated in practice. They appear to be on track for Tuesday’s game.
Carter-Williams, meanwhile, remains day-to-day with a foot injury (tendon strain). For his part, Fultz said he is ready to jump into his second playoff appearance. He saw 23 minutes in three playoff games as a rookie with the 76ers in 2018. Playing a bigger role with the Magic should make this go-around more memorable.
While he didn’t get much playing time with the 76ers, Fultz remembers how much the playoffs differed from the regular season.
“It’s totally different. Everything’s very intense,” he said. “You’ve got to play through more stuff. You’ve got another team that’s locked into you. They know everything you’re doing. You’ve got to learn everything the other team’s doing. Just the physicality and the atmosphere of playoff basketball is incredible.”
The Magic and the Bucks tip off their best-of-seven series on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Florida and TNT.