Markelle Fultz’s return previews major competition in Orlando Magic’s backcourt

In case you had not heard, Markelle Fultz is back for the Orlando Magic.

It was fair to expect some rustiness from the young point guard given the last time we saw him play was all the way back in January 2021. But so far, it does not look like the 23-year-old went 13 months without playing competitive basketball.

His return could not have gone much better given the limited time he has been on the court. Fultz scored 10 points off 5 for 7 shooting in his first game back before following it up with 11 points on five for six shooting two days later.

There is probably still a long way to go until Fultz feels completely confident and comfortable, and there will inevitably be some bumps along the way. But so far he is doing everything he can to show that he should be the starting point guard for this team.

Markelle Fultz’s return has been a welcome sight in what has been a disappointing season for the Orlando Magic. The team’s younger point guards will need to raise their game in response.

The Magic’s plethora of young talent at the guard spots was a big talking point going into the season.

Cole Anthony‘s strong end to last season offered plenty of cause for optimism. The team had just drafted Jalen Suggs and he arrived with plenty of fanfare, even starting on opening night. R.J. Hampton remained an intriguing prospect after winning Rookie of the Month in the final month of the 2021 season. Veterans Gary Harris and Terrence Ross would have to be worked into the rotation. And then there of course was Fultz’s highly anticipated return to look forward to.

At one point it looked as though it would be extremely difficult to take Anthony out of the starting lineup. His scoring and shooting improvement gave an enormous lift to a faltering offense and there were plenty of signs that there might be a star player developing in front of our eyes.

Things have not quite gone as well since. Anthony has struggled with consistency in shooting the basketball. But the Magic are not ready to give up on the young point guard and neither should the fans. The performances have been there at times this season, and there is absolutely a possibility he turns into a very good player.

But Markelle Fultz’s return has posed some very difficult questions for head coach Jamahl Mosley and the rest of the franchise.

Anthony might have more scoring potential but there is no denying the ball moves better when Fultz is leading the offense. His smart decision-making and ability to create for others make the team look better. Just look at his very first possession when he returned Monday:

Of course, it is the early days of Fultz’s return. It would be surprising if Fultz did not hit some sort of slump between now and the end of the season given how much time he has missed. And Fultz’s minutes are still being limited for the time being. He played 15 minutes in both games of his return.

But at some point in the near future, the decision is going to have to be made about who this team’s lead ball-handler and primary creator is.

It is not at a point where the Magic have to make any long-term decisions. But there is clearly a crunch coming at the lead guard position. One the team will be sorting through for a while.

Suggs’ arrival in Orlando does not make that decision any easier. Suggs has really struggled with his shot this year and has been wildly inefficient, shooting just 36.9-percent from the field and 22.7-percent from three.

But the defensive and playmaking potential along with the glimpses on offense offer hope this might just be a difficult period of adjustment.

Suggs has been used at the starting 2 spot this season and has had minutes at point guard too without Anthony on the floor. He does not look ready to have the ball in his hands more at this point given those inefficiencies and his high turnover rate. But as things start to slow down for him, he might just enter the conversation to be the first choice point guard.

For now, the Magic are playing Suggs alongside Anthony a lot with Suggs often bringing the ball up and initiating the offense. That will be part of the experimenting the team will do to close the season.

What has made Fultz’s return so exciting is the improvements he looks to have made in his jump shot.

The former number one pick has knocked down a handful of pull-up mid-range jumpers which have really caught the eye. And while that has not yet stretched out to beyond the 3-point line in his first two games back, it does offer some encouragement that his shooting has gotten better.

The issue the Magic have is that shooting, especially from beyond the arc, has never been Fultz’s specialty. Teams will still invite Fultz to shoot that jump and try to crowd the paint.

Meanwhile, Anthony has shown potential of being a good 3-point shooter but has had some drastic slumps in his young career. Suggs has a long way to go until he can even be considered an average three-point shooter.

Someone who has shot well, though, is another young guard in Hampton. He has shot 37.7-percent from beyond the 3-point line this season. While he has not shown enough on the ball to be in the conversation as a starter, on a team which has struggled shooting the ball he deserves minutes on the court.

As of yet, none of the Magic’s guards have quite put it all together. There are noticeable holes in all of their games, which is to be expected with a young team.

Between now and the end of the season is the time for Mosley to discover more about his young backcourt options heading into next season, when he will need to make a decision on who gets the most opportunity. It is a good time to experiment and try different things as the team looks for the best path forward.

But Fultz’s early impact on the team since his return has shown just how much competition the Magic have, and the likes of Anthony, Suggs and Hampton have no option but to raise their games in response.