Former Sixers Draft Bust Struggling to Find New NBA Home
By Cem Yolbulan
The start of the 2024-25 NBA regular season is just around the corner. With training camps scheduled to start next week, teams have officially kicked things off with media day.
With tip-off less than four weeks away, teams are mostly done with their roster construction. However, there are still free agents still waiting around for their phones to ring. One of those players still available is former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz.
Fultz is arguably the best player remaining on the market. Even though he has not been able to fulfill the promise he showed as a prospect, the reasons behind his being unsigned are difficult to comprehend.
After struggling to find his place in a league that seemed ready to write him off, Markelle Fultz has become a trusted leader for a talented Magic team. In the process, the former No. 1 pick created a legacy for a generation of players coming behind him. https://t.co/d7xC4u4Ayp
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) March 19, 2024
He is likely never going to be a starter-caliber guard in the league due to his shooting and scoring limitations and health concerns, but Fultz has shown that he is a more than capable backup option. He turned himself into one of the best guard defenders in the league. Thanks to his good positional size, strength, and length, Fultz can defend multiple positions. He is also a smart help defender who can read the game well, resulting in a ton of steals and deflections.
After spending the first two seasons of his career in Philadelphia, Fultz found a long-term home with the Orlando Magic. There, the jump shot that mysteriously abandoned him in the NBA never came back. He almost never takes a jump shot and is inconsistent from the free-throw line. However, he is a good transition player who can run a pick-and-roll and make plays for his teammates.
Considering that he was a big part of Orlando's playoff run last year, Fultz likely expected to be signed by now. In seven postseason games with the Magic, he played over 15 minutes per game, averaging 6.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game on 58.8% shooting from the field.
The Magic are one of the deepest teams in the league, so it is understandable that he was squeezed out of a roster spot there. Why the rest of the league is not taking a chance on a 26-year-old competent guard is less justified. Perhaps that will change in the coming weeks but for now, Fultz's journey in the NBA continues to be mystifying.
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