ORLANDO – Playing against his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, for the first time since getting traded to the Orlando Magic in the middle of last season, Markelle Fultz showcased some of what makes him such an intriguing young talent.
One of his top highlights from the night came shortly after he entered the game midway through the first quarter when he delivered a no-look behind-the-head pass to Aaron Gordon, who flushed home the jam.
Another impressive play from the 6-foot-4, 210-pound point guard occurred in the second quarter when, resembling a football tailback eluding tacklers, he drove coast-to-coast for a layup.
Evidence of just how strong and fearless he is, the 21-year-old went right at All-Star center and former teammate Joel Embiid late in the second period, finishing over the 7-foot big man.
One of the Magic’s goals this season is to create offense through their defense, which is expected to be elite with how long and versatile they are across the roster. Intercepting opponent passes, stripping the ball away from ball handlers and blocking shots, as Mo Bamba did in the play featured below, will allow the former No. 1 overall pick to get out in the open floor and either create for himself or set his teammates up for easy buckets in transition.
The jump shot is coming along, even though he has yet to make a 3-pointer this preseason. Inside the arc, Fultz looks comfortable, shown in the clip below. Making mid-range pull-up jumpers is something he did extremely well in college.
