It’s been 14 months since we last saw Markelle Fultz in NBA action as he suffered a torn ACL in January of 2021. Now, having made a full recovery, the former No. 1 overall pick saw an efficient 16 minutes of action where he racked up 10 points, and 6 assists, shooting 71.4% from the field (5 of 7 FG).
Including tonight’s outing, Fultz has played in a mere nine games over the last two seasons as he appeared in just 8 games last season prior to tearing his ACL in early 2021. However, if Fultz can stay healthy and replicate part of his 2019-20 campaign in Orlando, the Magic have a backcourt to be hopeful for heading into next season.
Back in the 2019-20 season, Fultz saw an average of 27.7 minutes of play, scoring 12.1 PPG while shooting 46.5% from the field. It’s going to take a bit of time to ease himself into the starting five, especially with Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs in a packed backcourt.
A dominant win over the Pacers tonight should earn Fultz a bit more playing time against Indiana once again on March 2nd. Perhaps a low-scoring double-double should not be out of the question in what I expect to be at least 20 minutes of action for Fultz.
