Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz building a strong base for the season

Markelle Fultz has had all the national attention for the Orlando Magic. In the quieter climes, he has started to build a foundation to return to his growth.

Markelle Fultz has had the whole league watching his every move.

When it comes to the Orlando Magic, no one else attracts much national attention. The fascination with Markelle Fultz is about whether he can come back from a mysterious injury (thoracic outlet syndrome is extremely rare in NBA players) and reclaim the talent that made him the top overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

There are certainly those cheering for his defeat and failure. Fultz fell so hard and so fast that it left a sour taste for some.

There are far more cheering for his success, including his former Philadelphia 76ers teammates and coaching staff.

The plain fact of the matter might be that Fultz could not recover from his injury and succeed in that environment — both from the fans and from the pressure of playing for a suddenly contending team.

Fultz needed to get away and reset. He needed to play somewhere that would give him the room to recover, grow and shine. He needed to go someplace that the pressure would not suffocate everything he does.

Sunday’s game against the 76ers gave him a chance to reconnect with those former teammates. But the pleasantries ended it seemed once the ball tipped.

When Fultz checked in, all eyes were on him again. This time, he made no mistake why there is still so much promise within him.

It is impossible to look away from Fultz. There is a magnetism about the way he plays. He attracts attention. The question is whether he can deliver on all that attention he has warranted.

Through five preseason games, Fultz has done so. At least to a limited extent. Fultz has looked like he belongs and can fill a role for the team. It is hard not to call what Fultz has done for the Magic a positive.

All the attention for Fultz has been warranted in the best of ways.

Sunday, in a game where the Magic were struggling to generate offense, Fultz got the team moving. He scored a preseason-high 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting, making two of his three free throw attempts. He added five assists and two steals to his impressive preseason tally.

That is what he has done throughout the preseason. He can wedge himself in the paint and feed anyone at any time.

Just ask Aaron Gordon who found himself receiving a pass from Markelle Fultz after Fultz flipped the ball over his head. Everyone’s head has had to be on a swivel.

Fultz did his part too. He took the ball the length of the court and took advantage of a sleeping 76ers defense to get all the way to the basket. He has done something similar plenty of times throughout the preseason, able to slice his way to the basket and take lanes to finish near the rim.

His biggest offensive highlights have come in transition where he can take open space and attack it. The Magic want to push the pace and Fultz is the kind of guard who can do so.

The Magic have a 102.7 offensive rating with Fultz on the floor and a +3.6 net rating, even with this weekend’s games. The Magic have a 97.5 offensive rating for the preseason with a +2.5 net rating. The team is playing at a 106.1 pace with Fultz on the floor compared to 103.9 overall this preseason.

That impact is clear. He has been a positive for the Magic.

Fultz is averaging 7.0 points per game and dishing out 4.4 assists per game in 20.1 minutes per game. Those are extremely modest numbers.

But even modest numbers are a step forward for him.

The Magic have given him the ball as much because he demands it as much because good things happen when he has it. Fultz forces the defense to react.

That is something Orlando is undoubtedly missing. The Magic need someone who can take a guy off the dribble and get into the paint. This is what Fultz has proven.

Defensively, Fultz has drawn rave reviews too. He has been a stalwart on that end. He is pesky and able to get steals. Fultz’s size has been a benefit on this end.

The biggest question, of course, with Fultz, has been his jump shot. That is still clearly a work in progress. He is shooting 31.9 percent from the floor. He has hit just one jumper outside the paint.

As effective as Fultz is at getting into the lane and dishing out, he is still getting a feel for the rhythm of the game again and it shows. He will sometimes drive too deep into the lane and gets cause where he cannot escape except for a wild shot at the rim or a turnover — 2.6 per game.

Fultz has gotten into a rhythm by usually doing turnaround fadeaways. He has to have a rhythm into his jumper. And it is still inconsistent.

Still, there are moments when that jumper looks fluid. And he gets to his spot.

Against the 76ers, he finally hit his shot outside the paint.

In this play is a distillation of his potential. A big guard able to weave around a pick and find space. He is certainly capable of taking it all the way to the basket.

But to be successful, he must make defenses pay for sagging off him like this. So he moves smoothly into his jumper and drains it.

This is the shot that can unlock a lot of Fultz’s game. Smooth, easy and confident.

This preseason has been a lot about just letting Fultz get out there and play. The Magic want Fultz to regain confidence. Fultz has described trying to find the joy of the game again and just having fun.

That was the big takeaway it seems from the 76ers watching Fultz play again. It looked like he was having fun again.

Like the Magic team itself, there is still a lot of work to do. Fultz is still getting the speed of the game back down.

The preseason is meant to be a foundation for Fultz to start growing from when the regular season begins. Fultz has delivered on that foundation. It is clear what he can bring to the table and how he can contribute.

No matter how it develops, all eyes will be on Fultz still.