Fultz improvement could reap awards
Former No. 1 pick could be considered for Most Improved after bounceback year.
Stymied by injuries during his first two seasons, Magic point guard Markelle Fultz certainly has made the most of his time in Orlando.
Fultz worked tirelessly during the offseason to recover from the thoracic outlet syndrome issue discovered in his right shoulder that limited him to 19 games last season with the Philadelphia 76ers, who made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft and later traded him to Orlando.
The 2019-20 season arrived, and with it the fresh start Fultz needed. He was healthy, or at least as healthy as he had been in a long time.
By the sixth game of the season, he had taken over as the Magic’s starting point guard and has been in the lineup for all but one of their 65 games — he missed that one due to an illness.
Prior to the season, the organization simply did not know when — or even if — Fultz would play. There was no expectation other than the team felt Fultz would work as hard as he could to return. Getting 64 games out of Fultz has been a huge win for the Magic. That’s nearly twice as many as he played in his first two NBA seasons.
And to some, that has made this season more impressive.
“For me, he’s made a lot more progress than I think we could have legitimately hoped for,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said during a recent telephone interview with the Orlando Sentinel.
Fultz is averaging 12.1 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field and 72.3% from the free-throw line this season. In 19 games during the 2018-19 season, he averaged 8.2 points and 3.1 assists while shooting 41.9% from the field and 56.8% from the free-throw line.
There certainly have been bumps in the road. For one, Fultz continues to work on his perimeter shooting, particularly from 3-point range (25.4% this season), to keep teams from clogging the paint to slow his driving ability.
But he’s also shown his athleticism, especially at the basket.
So whether the NBA season ultimately resumes or is canceled, postseason awards will be handed out at some point.
Will Fultz be among those considered for the Most Improved Player honor?
Clifford thinks Fultz most certainly — at the very least — belongs in the conversation.
“I would just say just look at where he was a year ago when he wasn’t even healthy enough to be on the floor, actually for two years,” Clifford said. “So now he’s a very good player playing on a team that’s a playoff contender and he’s one of the main focal points of the team.”
Players such as Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham and Celtics guard Jaylen Brown are likely to garner much of the Most Improved Player discussion.
Magic center Mo Bamba has known Fultz since their high school travelteam playing days. Bamba, who has dealt with his own injuries and missed considerable playing time as a result, said Fultz’s commitment to getting back on the floor is one reason Fultz should be considered.
“I think he should be up there, for sure, given what he’s been through and his other situation and how he’s bounced back,” Bamba recently told the Sentinel in a telephone interview. “I don’t want to take away from guys who’ve been improved tremendously through the season, but the back story of what he’s been through and I can see how hard he works firsthand is pretty impressive to me.”
Fultz continued to gain confidence as the season progressed and increased his comfort level with his new team and teammates.
The Magic went 8-4 in the 12 games before the NBA season was suspended. During that stretch, Fultz posted nine double-figure scoring games as he averaged 13.7 points. And while he had three games where he scored just five, seven and eight points, Fultz still influenced the offense with seven, eight and 10 assists, respectively, in those contests.
Fultz averaged 7.0 assists in that 12-game stretch.
In fact, the Magic went 11-6 in the 17 games this season (.647 winning percentage) where Fultz recorded at least seven assists.
Where would a 7.0-assist average put Fultz in the NBA statistical rankings? If Fultz averaged 7.0 assists per game, he would be tied with Lonzo Ball (11th) of the Pelicans and Russell Westbrook (12th) of the Rockets, according to league data.
While facilitating and distributing remain high on Fultz’s priority list, his ability to score also has had an impact.
Fultz attempted at least 10 shots in 39 games. In 23 of those, he shot 50% or better from the field, and the Magic were 14-9 (.608 winning percentage) in those contests.
Fultz was particularly effective in the four games before the season was suspended.
“He was in rhythm, [and] he had a good idea where his shots were going to come from,” Clifford said. “And then again, I think part of it is he plays in a way to constantly learn about his teammates and so that the team is going to execute and play with purpose when he’s out there. He’s getting better and better at that.”
Fultz had a four-game stretch in early February where he turned the ball over just four times.
His biggest asset remains his ability to get in the paint and find teammates. Fultz is averaging 12.0 drives per game — which ranks in the top 35 in the NBA — as his penetration numbers have been climbing all season. He recorded a career-high 14 assists in a 112-100 win in Charlotte on Feb. 3.
Clifford also commended Fultz for his preparation. To some degree, how an NBA player performs is a reflection of what he puts into conditioning, strength training, skill work, nutrition or sleep habits, to name a few, Clifford said.
“The biggest factor in how well a guy plays is his approach. And from the day that he’s gotten here, Markelle has used every single opportunity to get better, starting obviously with the work he’s done to get healthier, get more fit,” Clifford said. “He has days before he can practice or play to get his body ready to play. He’s diligent, [and] he’s very committed to it. So he’s not the normal guy in that he’s had to put so much into this to make the gains that he’s gained so far.”
Among those gains are Fultz’s pick-and-roll play, his reading of defenses and his pull-up jumper proficiency.
Clifford said Fultz’s growth in those areas is the result of a team effort between the young guard and assistant coaches Steve Hetzel and Bruce Kreutzer. And then there’s Fultz’s team-first approach, which Clifford said may be his best attribute as a player.
“All the things that both of them work with him on, and then it’s the team part, and that to me is where he’s more of a throw-back player,” Clifford said. “He understands team concepts quickly, he plays for the team and when he’s on the floor we execute at a high level, and that’s one of the challenges coming into this league that many younger players struggle with and for him it’s very much a strength.
“All of those things end up being factors. He certainly fits the criteria [for most improved] if you look at where he is today and how well he’s played as a starter.”
Magic forward Aaron Gordon acknowledged Fultz’s progress in his first healthy season but also sees a higher ceiling for his teammate.
“Markelle has improved so much, but being the most improved is not what he’s about. I’m convinced he’s going to be an all-star in the next two or three years,” Gordon recently told the Sentinel.