Steve Clifford: Markelle Fultz not likely to join Orlando Magic on court this season

The Orlando Magic likely will not see new acquisition Markelle Fultz join the team this year. Steve Clifford said his rehab is continuing on his own.

The Orlando Magic made a splashy move at the trade deadline acquiring former first overall pick Markelle Fultz from the Philadelphia 76ers.

To them, it was the ultimate reclamation project. A player with immense talent who had struggled with injury in an environment that expected too much of him. His injury and the misdiagnosis of it only added to the problems.

The Magic promised him patience and a new beginning.

When Markelle Fultz arrived in Orlando he expressed his excitement for the new opportunity and his eagerness to get back onto the court. The question was always when?

Coach Steve Clifford appeared to put that to rest on SiriusXM NBA Radio, telling Jared Greenberg and Brendan Haywood that Markelle Fultz likely would not join the Magic on the court this year.

"“I don’t think so,” Clifford said. “He’s still actually rehabbing his shoulder. He’s not even able to really do much on the floor yet. It’s a pretty significant shoulder injury and I would say he is starting to do a little bit but it would be very difficult for him to get back this year.”"

Fultz has been out of the lineup since Nov. 19 as he continued to complain of shoulder pain. He was eventually diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve condition that affects the arms and shoulder.

Fultz described the injury as a sort of tingling in his fingers that would begin and then grow to the point where he could not lift his arms above his shoulder. The pain and the hindrance would come and go.

He has been doing rehab ever since. Clifford said he did not know enough about the injury to comment specifically on Fultz’s progress. But he said he was treating it with physical therapy and it is something Fultz will have to be diligent about moving forward with his career.

It is still unclear when Fultz might be ready. It sounds like he has not really begun basketball-related activities yet. Throwing him out on the floor in the middle of a Playoff race is not likely to help Fultz rebuild his confidence or help the team much make the top-8.

It is probably better for everyone to let him continue to get healthy and then return to the team at the beginning of the season.

Fultz will have a lot of work to do, but it is still clear what kind of talent he has.

His shot mechanics got a ton of scrutiny as he struggled with the pain that came from his shoulder injury and nerve condition. He shot 28.6 percent on 3-pointers and 56.8 percent from the foul line this year in 19 games. But he was still able to get to the basket effectively and dish the ball, passing out 3.1 assists per game in 22.5 minutes per game.

He was undoubtedly the top pick in the draft coming out of college. That player still exists somewhere if he can regain confidence on the floor and move past the shoulder injury that has kept him out and hampered him throughout his career.

Fultz did have a 16-point, 7-assist effort against the Atlanta Hawks earlier this season. With the injury.

The Magic will have to wait though. They likely will not see Fultz until training camp begins in September.