Magic Preseason Profile: Can Markelle Fultz Return to Form?

Markelle Fultz has had an up-and-down NBA career. But with his worst injuries hopefully behind him, can the Orlando Magic point guard have a career year in 2022-23?

Jeremy Brener | Oct 6, 2022

Magic Preseason Profile: Can Markelle Fultz Return to Form? /

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Markelle Fultz is entering the sixth season of his career after being the No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.

While his career hasn't amounted to his pre-draft hype, Fultz still has a lot of value as a point guard in the league and can lead the Magic backcourt to success this season.

Let's take a look back at what Fultz was able to produce last year, as well as what we can look forward to seeing this season.

2021-22 Season Review

Fultz came off an eight-game season in 2020-21 with an 18-game season in 2021-22 while recovering from his torn ACL. But while he's been absent for nearly two full seasons, the former top pick showed some promise in his limited appearances last season.

Fultz averaged 10.8 points and 5.5 assists per game while shooting over 47 percent from the field. While his three-point shot isn't very accurate, his shooting percentage saw a massive improvement.

2022-23 Season Preview

Fultz stubbed and fractured his toe just before training camp, leaving his status at the beginning of the season in doubt.

Luckily, he is expected to return soon and make a larger contribution for the Magic this season. He'll compete alongside Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs for playing time in the guard rotation, but when he returns officially, he'll be the best passer out of the bunch.

While he may not be the best shooter, Fultz should have some shooting help around him in order to create a balanced offensive attack.

Check out our other Magic preseason player profiles you might have missed so far:

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Published Oct 6, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.