Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
The Ringer Top 125 NBA Player Rankings: Magic PG Markelle Fultz Make the Cut?
ORLANDO - Arguably one of the most pleasant surprises for the Orlando Magic this season was sixth-year guard Markelle Fultz - and the NBA community is getting put on notice.
The Ringer released their top 125 players list for the 2022-2023 season, and just making the cut was Fultz coming in at the No. 122 spot.
"Once you get past what Fultz could’ve been after being selected first overall by the Sixers in 2017, you can appreciate the player Orlando has now: a productive ball handler who can hit a pull-up jumper, get downhill, and leverage his athleticism in transition," The Ringer writes.
After missing the first 21 games of the year with a fractured toe, Fultz went on to start 60 of the next 61 games while averaging career-highs in points (14.0), minutes (29.6), field goal percentage (51.4) and assists (5.7).
And as the season progressed, Fultz confidence began to grow as well, posting his highest career scoring months in February (16.2) and March (16.6) while playing over 32 minutes per game.
And not only did his comfort translate individually, but to wins as well, with Orlando posting a 29-31 mark with Fultz in the lineup - compared to their 5-17 record without.
"Fultz was on the verge of being irrelevant," The Ringer writes. "Now he’s a full-time starter averaging 30 minutes a game on an up-and-coming team. That bad first impression? It’s finally in the rearview mirror."
Entering the final season of his three-year, $50 million contract, the Magic appears to have its point guard of the future and will look to extend the former No. 1 pick this offseason.
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