Orlando Magic’s 5 best options to hit the game-winner
Orlando Magic’s best options to close
Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz played in only eight games last season. It is hardly a big enough sample to say a whole lot about him or where his season was going — the numbers suggested his shooting was starting to fall off and he was returning to some mean after a burst at the start.
And, at this point, nobody knows when Fultz will return and what condition he will be in. Will he be the same player who torched the league to start last season? Or will he need time to get himself back? Can he even get back to where he was?
Fultz will put in the work. But if he has the same attitude and mentality, the Magic know they will be bringing someone who is unafraid of the moment and will step up when the team calls on him.
In his two seasons playing with the Magic, Fultz has established really strong clutch credentials.
He scored 16 points in 12 clutch minutes last season, shooting 6 for 7 from the floor and hitting the only three he took. He also dished out four assists in that short time. The Magic were 4-1 in clutch games to start the season — and clutch moments can be a major differentiator for back-end playoff teams.
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Fultz obviously had the big game against the Washington Wizards when the Orlando Magic completed a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback. Markelle Fultz made several plays that stood out late, including a layup for the lead and a nice behind-the-back pass to a trailing Nikola Vucevic to ice the game.
This was not just a one-time thing in a small five-game sample.
Fultz led the team in clutch scoring during the 2020 season, posting 55 points in 114 clutch minutes. He shot 53.7-percent from the floor and added 20 assists against seven turnovers. He also had seven steals to boot.
The only downside was Orlando was just 12-18 in his clutch minutes that season. At the end of the day, the team needs to win. Perhaps that was an argument to move away from an Evan Fournier-centered offense to finish games.
There is no doubt that Fultz is a solid game manager who knows when to insert himself offensively and look for his shot. Defenses do not respect his 3-point shot, but Fultz rarely takes bad threes. He is becoming adept at eating up space and finishing through contact.
If that part of his game remains, Fultz will be a strong option to finish games and make the right decision to get the Magic a good shot.