Rehab can be a grueling process.
There is, of course, the frustration of not being out on the court. Being so close to the team on the sidelines and watching them but unable to go through it.
There is the isolation of having to work on your own away from teammates and listen closely to your body and sometimes deal with the inconsistencies that come with that.
Markelle Fultz has been through the rehab process before. That long recovery as he learned to treat and manage thoracic outlet syndrome helped give him a frame of reference on what this process would be like recovering from a torn ACL.
Still, there is no easy path and no set course in anyone’s recovery. Beyond the Magic making sure they did not put any time pressure on their young guard’s recovery, Fultz was seeking comfort and confidence.
Markelle Fultz is set to make his season debut Monday after recovering from a torn ACL. The next step for the Orlando Magic guard is to get comfortable on the court as the last phase of his rehab.
He said there were some days when he would feel really good and confident enough to play. But the next day he would be sore and have to pull back.
There has been this kind of push and pull throughout the rehab process. Especially as it got closer to the end and the anticipation of Fultz’s ultimate return came closer and closer.
It was not until Friday heading into Saturday though that the final hurdle was cleared. It was then that Fultz passed the final checks and he said his body felt good and confident enough to go back on the court.
"“It’s been a long time coming,” Fultz said after practice Sunday. “It has been a year and a half. It’s been a long time of all the hard work that I’ve put in, all those tough days. I did it for right here to be able to go out there and compete. Just happy. Happy. There are not many words that can express it but just happy.”"
Fultz will return to the court in Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, marking the guard’s first game since tearing his ACL in January 2021. Now the task for Fultz will be to get comfortable on the court again and ramp back up in the final quarter of the season.
It is still not clear how much Fultz will play at least to start. Coach Jamahl Mosley said the team will have those discussions with the medical staff and with Markelle Fultz before Monday’s game.
Fultz, for his part, said he does not plan to wear anything extra on his knee. He said he will wear his usual tights beneath his jersey and that he feels comfortable and confident enough to play without a brace or extra knee padding.
So the biggest adjustment and the biggest step for Fultz to take is to find his comfort on the court.
"“It’s more about getting a comfort level for being back on the floor,” Mosley said after practice Sunday. “It has been a long time since he played. So it’s just about the chemistry of guys and him feeling comfortable with these guys.”"
That is obviously the biggest thing now for any player getting back from a long-term injury. Especially for Fultz.
There is a lot to catch up on and learn. And right now the biggest thing for Fultz, just like it was at the end of the rehab process, is to get him comfortable and confident.
The team Fultz left on Jan. 6, 2021 is very different than the one he will join on Feb. 28, 2022.
The entire starting group Fultz played alongside that night against the Cleveland Cavaliers have moved on — franchise pillars Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier moved in a series of moves at last year’s trade deadline.
So Fultz will be learning the tendencies of his new teammates, something so far he has only been able to do in practice and in impromptu coaching sessions on the sidelines.
No one should expect Fultz to return to the form he had before his injury when he seemed to be having his breakout after his first full year under his belt.
Fultz has stayed plenty engaged in the meantime.
He has constantly been in his teammates’ ears and providing his insight and thoughts to them and to Mosley and the coaching staff as games advanced.
Mosley said there has been very little he has needed to do with Fultz to keep him engaged and help his teammates. He said he has asked Fultz for his input on what he sees and looks for his perspective on what is going on.
Of course, nothing replaces being on the floor and in games.
"“I approach it like I do practice and every day in life,” Fultz said after practice Sunday. “Number one thing is just going out there just to have fun and enjoy what I’m doing. But again, I got an opportunity to play with a great group of guys. Just going out there and just feel them out and make all my teammates better and, of course, get the win.”"
The team has certainly received something of an energy boost knowing Fultz was nearing his return. It is an energy boost for everyone.
Not that this is a group that has needed much energy or a boost of togetherness. This has been an incredibly tightly drawn group especially for a team struggling with the record it has.
Bringing Fultz back will only add to that excitement.
"“Markelle’s energy is just something special,” Mosley said after practice Sunday. “His joy for the game and how he appreciates every moment and every opportunity he gets. It’s been a blessing for him to be able to work through what he has worked through and to come back with the same spirit and same joy for the game of basketball.”"
This has been something fans have been waiting for as much as Fultz and his teammates have waited for. All that support has been driving Fultz and giving him the boost he needed to keep fighting. Fultz is eager to be back in front of the home fans.
There are inevitably a lot of lonely and frustrating days whenever a player is going through a rehab like this. Fultz was able to draw from the experience of his last rehab to help him get through it and go through the ups and downs that inevitably come.
There will be more of those to come. There is no straight line in recovering from a major injury like this. And Fultz will still have his good days and his bad days.
But the rest of this season is about getting through those and getting Fultz back on the floor. It is about the team seeing what kind of energy he brings to the team.
It is about getting Fultz back into the swing of things again.