Markelle Fultz’s gravity is what the Orlando Magic need

Now You See Him, Now You Don’t

The passing caught their eye as much as anything else. Whether it was that dropoff to Bamba or his wrap-around pass to Nikola Vucevic in the fourth quarter, Markelle Fultz could deliver passes through seeming impossible holes.

It was a sign of just how much attention he can create and how he can still cause the defense to collapse.

The whole team could admit one of its biggest weaknesses was its lack of great dribble penetration and individual playmaking. They have a lot of players who can work the pick and roll and attack when they have a screen to spring them free. But no one consistently can break their man down one on one and create a paint touch off the drive.

Orlando has to find a way to get the defense moving and reacting. They need someone with that kind of gravity.

Fultz gives them something different. Even with defenders hanging off him and daring him to shoot, knowing full well his historic shooting struggles, he can drive in to create space and finish around the rim. Fultz is also a willingness to kick out.

"“Being a big guard able to get into the paint and put pressure on the rim and get into the paint and find whoever is open,” Fultz said after Wednesday’s game. “That’s my biggest thing. I want my teammates to know that if they are open, they are going to get the ball. It’s going to be on time and it’s going to be on target. All they have to worry about is knocking it down. As the season goes on, as we get more comfortable, I just want them to feel like they will get the ball when it’s open. it makes the game more fun.”"

That is the biggest thing teammates have to be ready for now. They have to be ready for the ball at all times. Because Fultz will suck defenders to him as he drives and he is willing to kick it out.

Orlando Magic

Nikola Vucevic called that wrap-around pass very difficult. To get it on time where he could catch and finish was not an easy thing. It gives the Magic a new weapon to have someone who can create that much off the dribble.

Even his turnovers seemed to show off his talent and vision. He had the miss with Bamba on the drop-back pass. Another of his turnovers was him trying to whip the ball to Vucevic on a dive while he worked through a trap along the baseline.

In both cases, he tried difficult passes. But they are passes he could have easily completed if players anticipated they might come. That might be the biggest lesson of the first game. It is a lesson the team knows from the kinds of passes he throws in practice too.

"“The way he plays, to me, he can play with anybody,” Clifford said after Wednesday’s game. “It’s always going to be the same thing with any player is, it’s who he gets to play with also. He has a high IQ, he has a terrific talent for finding people in the paint, which not many people can do. And also, he is so good defensively.” It all started to come together in that first game. And it was impossible not to notice Fultz and his efforts. Markelle Fultz’s promise has Orlando Magic fans hungering for when he can take over the starting job. (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) A Promising Start There are still plenty of parts of his game he has to color in as he plays more — his shooting remains a soft spot, but he really only has to hit a few to keep the defense honest. And it is just one game. He has to keep playing at this level. But all eyes remain on him. They have always been on him — fair or not. There is the national intrigue of his comeback and his return for sure. Beyond the external storylines, Fultz demands your attention. When the ball is in his hands, good things seem to happen. He is able to draw the defense in and create. Everyone can see this and notices it. In Wednesday’s game — granted a small sample size — the Magic went +1 in about four minutes with Fultz playing with the starters. There was certainly potential there. The goal for Fultz remains the same though. The team wants him to gain confidence and comfort on the floor. They are not about to rush him into the starting lineup or into a role he is not ready to succeed in. The biggest moment for Fultz seemed to be attacking the rim and finishing that first layup in the first quarter. It was confirmation he could still do this and could still play. From there, his confidence seemed to multiply. “Any time you see the ball go in for a basketball player and hooper that loves the game, it’s just like the rim gets bigger and bigger,” Fultz said after Wednesday’s game. For me, it gave me more confidence. It made me say, ‘It’s back and I’m good.’ I just have to keep moving. Seeing those shots go in was big. I put in a lot of practice fo rit. I was prepared, but any time you see the ball go in the rim, you get excited.”"

Fultz will still draw eyeballs. His immense talent will make sure of that.

The one thing that Wednesday proved is that his play will make it hard for anyone to look away. Especially defenses.

And that is what the Magic want. Fultz has a strong gravitational pull that he has quickly learned how to exploit.