Orlando Magic Trade Deadline: 5 Markelle Fultz questions with The Sixer Sense

The Orlando Magic acquired Markelle Fultz at the trade deadline and immediately sparked excitement. We asked The Sixer Sense what we should really expect.

There was a lot of major movement at the trade deadline this year.

The balance of power slowly seemed to shift toward the Eastern Conference with many of the top teams making major moves to try to solidify their place in the crowded top of the conference. Yes, LeBron James, they all sense an opportunity finally to reach the Finals.

The Orlando Magic did not stay quiet at this deadline though. While there were plenty of those major moves, the Magic may have made one of the more intriguing and potentially game-changing deals of the deadline season.

Orlando has needed a point guard for a long time almost as much as they needed a Lottery win. Without a real path to get an increase in talent without sacrificing players key to the team’s still hopeful Playoff run, the Magic were going to find it difficult to make a potentially impactful move.

The Orlando Magic though did that in acquiring Markelle Fultz from the Philadelphia 76ers. It only cost them a player who had fallen out of the rotation in Jonathon Simmons, a late first-round pick and an early second-round pick. That has some cost to it, but it is not a major cost. Not with the opportunity Markelle Fultz presents.

As president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said when discussing the trade, Fultz was the consensus top overall pick just two years ago. There is immense talent.

But there is no guarantee he will reach those heights. Two years filled with injuries, including his recent diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome, and losing confidence in his shot as he dealt with the injury and the pressure of being the top pick have dampened the mood around him. Philadelphia, after all, just traded him for two low-value picks and a player outside of the rotation on a current 25-win team.

The Magic are hoping to create a different environment for him.

The process — there is that word again — will be a long one. It is still unclear just what level Fultz can get to. And the signals are still the Magic are not going to rush him back or push him to do more than he is capable of. They want to build trust and confidence with him for whenever he is 100 percent healthy to play.

As many suspect, playing in Orlando with a young team looking to grow will be better for his development than the pressure of playing for a Playoff and title team all with the pressure of “completing the process.”

With so few games under his belt in the NBA, it is hard to understand what the Magic have acquired in Fultz and what to expect when he comes back.

To get a better understanding of what Fultz has done in the NBA, I reached out to Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense. Here is what he had to say about the Magic’s newest acquisition.

Philip Rossman-Reich, Orlando Magic Daily: Markelle Fultz has played only 33 games in his career and has dealt with a lot of injuries. How would you describe how he looked in those games?

Christopher Kline, The Sixer Sense: There have always been flashes. Markelle Fultz is still the youngest player ever to record a triple-double.

But even with those flashes, Fultz has never consistently contributed to winning basketball. He is a young player who has lost a lot of development time — and an important skill — to shoulder issues.

It boils down to whether or not he can reliably hit jumpers moving forward. Perhaps his slashing ability, passing chops and hustle plays are enough to provide some value long term, but it is evident Fultz will have significant limitations without posing a threat from 3-point range. Defenders will sag off and his confidence tends to fade when shots are not falling.

He did little things to stick on the court early in the season, such as grabbing offensive rebounds or diving for loose balls, but he is still missing a sizable chunk of the offensive repertoire that got him drafted first overall.

Rossman-Reich: Were the injuries the root of why things did not work out with Philadelphia? Were there other factors that kept Markelle Fultz from fitting in there?

Kline: Pretty much. Without the injuries, Markelle Fultz probably remembers how to shoot, making him the dynamic combo guard the Philadelphia 76ers intended him to be.

Having another ball-handler who can create off the bounce has always been important next to Ben Simmons, especially late in games. The Sixers lacked a late-game closer before the Jimmy Butler trade.

Fultz was supposed to fill that gap originally. The coaching staff and teammates have always supported Fultz and his work ethic is top notch. There is no real issue aside from the shoulder issues and related on-court limitations.

Rossman-Reich: Considering the injuries and what you have seen so far, what do you think Markelle Fultz’s overall outlook is? Can he still reach his overall potential?

Kline: It is tough to say given the lack of precedent for Markelle Fultz’s injury. There have been nerve injuries before — Landry Fields is an unsettling example — but nothing directly in line with Markelle Fultz’s situation.

If the physical therapy works, there is reason to believe he can regain some level of effectiveness as a shooter. We saw him make progress over the summer and before the Drew Hanlen split. But his thoracic outlet syndrome evidently got in the way.

With his natural talent and athleticism, a healthy Fultz should become a useful NBA player. But if the jumper does not return and his nerve issue persists there is a real chance Fultz fades out entirely.

I speak for most Philadelphia 76ers fans in hoping it is the former. He is a good kid experiencing issues out of his control. Ideally, the Orlando Magic are the fresh start he needs.

Rossman-Reich: Do you feel like playing with a team like the Orlando Magic will be better for a player like Markelle Fultz?

Kline: Yes, for various reasons.

Market size does play a role, even if Markelle Fultz’s injury is still the biggest concern. There will be lower, more reasonable expectations with the Orlando Magic.

The Philadelphia 76ers are on a national stage competing for a title, which means pundits were naturally going to gravitate toward Fultz’s situation. He can almost take a step back and relax in Orlando.

The roster fit is also significantly better. Due to his poor shooting, Fultz (at least early this season) was ineffective without the ball. A ball-dominant, non-shooting lead guard with questionable efficiency is not the best fit next to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. The Sixers forced the issue a bit when placing Fultz in the starting lineup — he was notably better when running the offense without Simmons — but in general, his skill set just did not match the Sixers’ core.

In Orlando, he will have much more room to operate, especially with a floor-spacing center like Nikola Vucevic. He will also have more freedom to run the offense for a team lacking depth at the position.

Rossman-Reich: Injuries are injuries, but how would you say Markelle Fultz handled recovering from injury? Was there a real issue with him dealing with the team?

Kline: Markelle Fultz has always been a hard worker. While the influences around him have been questionable, his desire to get better and improve goes without question.

He spent all summer getting up shots and training with Drew Hanlen. Sometimes clocking three workouts per day.

The injuries are not really his fault. Nerve injuries are weird and random. We still do not know exactly what caused his shoulder to go haywire.

With that in mind, there is little indication as to when Fultz will be ready to go. He could come back this season, but there is also the lingering chance he does not.

Either way, his work ethic is there. How his agent handles messages and team relations, at times, was odd, but Fultz himself has never strayed from his commitment to Philadelphia and his teammates. He is as likable as they come.

Orlando fans will come to enjoy rooting for him. Most Sixer fans are still behind him as well.

My thanks to Christopher for giving us an insider’s perspective on Markelle Fultz. You can follow him on Twitter @KlineNBA and check out his work at The Sixer Sense.