ORLANDO – After watching from afar for much of the past five weeks and up close the last couple of days, Markelle Fultz has come to one conclusion about the Orlando Magic’s style of play: He sees himself ultimately fitting in perfectly in the Magic’s point-guard-friendly system.
Fultz, the No. 1 pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, was acquired by the Magic on Feb. 7 in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s played just 33 NBA games over the past two seasons and he hasn’t played a game since Nov. 19. Instead, he’s spent much of the past four months in Southern California working with Los Angeles-based therapist Judy Seto, formerly the Head Physical Therapist of the Los Angeles Lakers and currently a consultant with Major League Baseball’s Dodgers, because of a shoulder condition known as thoracic outlet syndrome.
Fultz’s rehab was shifted to Orlando this week so that he could begin assimilating to his new teammates, a new coaching staff and a new home city. There is no firm timetable on when the 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard will return, but the Magic and Fultz feel he will benefit greatly from being around the team.
``I think it’s going to help me a lot, just being around the guys and seeing the (offensive) plays,’’ said Fultz, who was scheduled to be on the bench with the Magic for Wednesday’s home game against the New Orleans Pelicans. ``When you’re sitting down watching, you see a lot of stuff that you miss while you are playing. So, I’m just soaking it all up right now. I’m getting to see the team practice, and then during games I can see where I could see myself playing and how I could help the team.’’
One way that Fultz likely could help the Magic is with his skills in the pick-and-roll game. During his one season in college, Fultz led the University of Washington in scoring (23.2) and assists (5.7) by operating mostly out of pick-and-roll sets. In the NBA, Fultz didn’t have that benefit as the 76ers – who he played 14 games for as a rookie and 19 games this season – rarely run pick-and-roll sets.
This season, Orlando ranks 15thin the NBA in frequency of running pick-and-roll plays (18.5 percent) and it is 14thin the league in points per game off pick-and-roll plays (16.6). Philadelphia ranks last in both categories this season, running pick-and-rolls just 10.7 percent of the time and averaging only 11.3 points per game off those sets.
Fultz, 20, is excited about playing in a Magic offense in the future where he will have the ball in his hands, and he’ll be trusted to make plays for both himself and others.
``Pick-and-rolls are one of my favorite parts of the game, and as everyone knows, that’s the way that I played in college,’’ Fultz said. ``I think (the Magic’s system) is almost perfect for me. I think I’m a versatile player, but with the screen-and-roll (system) and the players that we have here, I think it’s going to be very fun.’’
PAYTON’S FAMILIAR RUN: Probably to the surprise of no one in Orlando, former Magic point guard Elfrid Payton came to the Amway Center on Wednesday riding an impressive streak of good play late in the season. Payton, who was traded to Phoenix last February by the Magic, has played well when healthy this season for the Pelicans.
Payton came into Wednesday having racked up five consecutive triple-doubles, putting him on an exclusive list with Russell Westbrook (four times), Oscar Robertson (three times), Wilt Chamberlain (two times), Michael Jordan (once) for players to notch triple-doubles over five consecutive games. Also, Payton tied Chris Paul for the Pelicans’ franchise record for triple-doubles in a season with six.
``I’ve just got to give glory to God, and it is a little mind-blowing,’’ Payton said of being on a list as prestigious as that one for his triple-double feats. ``I’ll look at it after the season, but right now I’m just hooping.’’
That’s likely not shocking news to Magic fans who saw Payton put up eight triple-doubles from 2014-18. He had triple-doubles on consecutive nights as a rookie in 2015, recorded another in his second season and had triple-doubles in a three-week period near the end of the 2016-17 season. All eight of his triple-doubles came late in the season.
Payton went through many of the same hard times that the team’s current players did during his time with the Magic. He is still thankful of the warm welcome Magic fans gave him last season and he’s pulling for the Magic to reach the playoffs – just not at the Pelicans’ expense tonight.
``It means a lot (to still get the support of Magic fans) and it means that I was doing something right, I was a genuine person and I gave my all when I played here,’’ said Payton, who has averaged 10.8 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds in his injury-marred first season with the Pelicans. ``It will good to see (Magic) fans and interact with them a little bit.
``I hope (the Magic) lose tonight and I’ll do my best to make sure they lose,’’ Payton said with a laugh before the game. ``But, of course, guys like (Nikola Vucevic), (Terrence Ross), (Aaron Gordon), Evan (Fournier) and D.J. (Augustin), I’m always checking scores and making sure (the Magic) are doing well. I’m definitely pulling for (the Magic) to make the playoffs and I want to see that.’’
NO A.D.: Just as the rival Miami Heat did earlier in the week when they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder without suspended point guard Russell Westbrook, the Magic caught potentially a big break on Wednesday when superstar forward Anthony Davis was not with the Pelicans.
Davis, who made national headlines in February when he requested a trade from the Pelicans, traveled with the team to Orlando on Tuesday, but he was excused by the franchise to fly home to tend to his ill daughter, New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry said.
``He did (make the trip to Orlando), but he went back home (to New Orleans) because his daughter is really sick and she had to go to the hospital,’’ Gentry said of Davis’ infant daughter. ``He just went back to make sure that everything is fine. He will not play tonight. It’s serious enough that he needed to go back there.’’
UP NEXT: The Magic’s five-game home stand continues on Friday when they face the Memphis Grizzlies. By the time Orlando’s longest home stand of the season is over, it will have been home for 12 consecutive days – an almost unheard of stretch in the NBA.
The Magic’s loss in Memphis on March 10 was one of the squad’s most frustrating of the season. They led by seven with three minutes to play, but ultimately fell 105-97 because of their offensive struggles and a fourth-quarter outburst from Mike Conley.
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