Triple Option

Feb. 7, 2019 @5:15 PM

By Michael Maynard

The NBA Trade Deadline came and went, and has produced hands down the story of the NBA season. Who cares that the Raptors traded for Marc Gasol, Niko Mirotic is coming back to the Midwest, or that Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin have been on four teams in less than a week. Markelle Fultz just got traded to the Magic, which for me is one of maybe four sports stories that could make me stop everything and write.

Just to be clear of my message, this Markelle Fultz mystery is so absurd that I can’t resist making light of it at times. However I actually do believe this a good trade for him and gives him a better chance to succeed in the NBA.

This is the same individual that became the clear number one prospect in the 2017 NBA Draft. Even after playing for a terrible Washington team in his one and done year, NBA scouts raved over this guy. He even managed to outshine Lonzo and LaVar Ball. One team traded up two draft spots to ensure they could draft him.

His 18 months with the Philadelphia 76ers an enigma that could only happen in the NBA. The weirdest part is that we have no idea what actually happened. The Sixers treated this as a shoulder injury, but this appears to be more than a shoulder injury. The yips have been a possible theory his shooting mechanics another, but one thing became very clear: Markelle Fultz could not shoot a basketball. Not that he was a bad shooter–that he could not shoot a basketball.

Markelle Fultz practicing his shot became as important to Philly sports as what the Eagles would do with Nick Foles. Kind of like when Chicago media sent helicopters to cover Cody Parkey practicing field goals. The Sixers just claimed externally it was recovery from a “shoulder injury.” After starting his rookie season poorly, he missed most of the season with this “shoulder ailment.” He come back late in the regular season and did decent, becoming the youngest NBA player ever to get a Triple-Double (Luka Doncic did supplant that mark this current season). However his shot still wasn’t right, and he wasn’t in the postseason rotation.

This offseason brought out most of the aforementioned drama about fixing Fultz’s shot. The worst kept secret that Markelle Fultz could not shoot a basketball infested the City of Brotherly Love. The movie Thunderstruck with Kevin Durant losing his talent has became a reality for Fultz, except we haven’t yet found the kid who took his talent. Walk anywhere in Philly and every fan who recognized him probably gave him their two cents, as if it were just one thing wrong.

This year they tried starting Fultz at shooting guard, and there isn’t a phrase that could describe Fultz less. Clearly something was still off. In 19 games he shot 4-14 beyond the arc, otherwise known as a James Harden off game, and 41% overall. But it wasn’t necessarily the stats were problem–it was the way it looked. Fultz would be left open to shoot, and hesitate and pass or drive. After he made a three in the opener against the Bulls, the Wells Fargo Arena erupted.

Then the worst thing that could imaginably happen to a player facing mental or confidence troubles happened: his team traded for Jimmy Butler. The same guy who earlier that very season berated his team by taking a bunch of bench players and beating the starters in a scrimmage, basically demolishing the confidence of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. This was the same guy who was brought in to be a centerpiece of the organization, nonetheless taking Fultz’s place in the rotation.

Very shortly after the Butler trade, Fultz’s “shoulder issues” flared up again, and he hasn’t played since November 19th, four games after the Butler trade. He visited countless doctors and was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. This basically confirmed that there was some disconnect between Fultz’s brain, body, and nervous system. That’s my expert medical analysis. Today, the 76ers decided to give up on all the drama and traded him to the Orlando Magic for Jonathon Simmons and some picks.

Now I get to step back and evaluate this situation. Of course, I am the same writer that built up Trae Young, and I see similarities. They are different types of players, but share one common thing: Age. They’re both 20. That’s only two years older than me. At an age where most people go off to college to several classes to prepare for their future career, or start at basic entry jobs, we’re throwing two kids not even legally old enough to drink into one of the most scrutinized jobs in the world. I said the same thing last year when ESPN and the entire media except me turned on Trae Young; it’s a lot for anyone to handle, nonetheless someone barely in their 20s. “A lot” for Fultz referring to collection of sources that compound on top of his shooting confidence issues.

Think back to the time Fultz was drafted, and the state of Philadelphia 76ers when they drafted Fultz. They had yet another losing season as part of “The Process” where they literally came out and said they were trying to suck to accumulate draft picks. Their previous #1 pick Ben Simmons had just missed the entire season with a foot injury. After missing two years with foot injuries of his own, Joel Embiid made his debut and played extremely well but got hurt again and played less than half the season.

Prior to the 2017-18 season, we didn’t really know what to expect from Simmons in terms of positioning. In his one year at LSU he dominated with his superb post skills and played down low, but his stellar passing skills made him project as an NBA 3. So we thought. Simmons opens up the year as the primary ball handler, essentially becoming the Point Guard with JJ Redick, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and Embiid around him. This is also the same time Fultz is noticeably struggling, and the Sixers are already playing one notorious non-shooter in Simmons.

Then the absolute worst thing happened for rookie Markelle Fultz: The Sixers got good. They went on a torrid win streak as the season concluded behind Simmons and Embiid, and finished as the 3 seed in the East. The city just witnessed its football team’s meteoric rise to a championship, and now their basketball team was doing the same. The pressure of playing for the Philadelphia 76ers went from growing pains to championship contending in one season. And Fultz was the one player who could have used some growing pains, as everyone else had some from the “Processing” years.

Put that in context with the expectations of being the number one pick. The Celtics traded down two picks and took Jayson Tatum, who would have won rookie of the year in any other year. Same could be said with Donovan Mitchell taken 13th. I referenced in my Kings article the 5 Point Guards taken in the top 10: Fultz, Ball, De’Aaron Fox, Frank Ntilikina, and Dennis Smith Jr. All of the players at his position showed better than him, as did the guy he was traded for. Additionally, he played in the shadows in college. Unlike Young he didn’t have that period to prepare for the mental rigors the NBA threw at him.

Philadelphia traded for Tobias Harris earlier in the week, which I’ll label as the end of The Process. With Ben Simmons as the Point Guard of the future, there was no place for Fultz. They had no shame in punting on a former top pick– they did the same thing with Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, and Jahlil Okafor. The more important issue became depth, which Jonathon Simmons should give them. Also acquired were James Ennis, Mike Scott, and Boban Marjanovic. This team is going for it, and the Fultz drama became a distraction.

For Orlando, this is 100% worth it. The Magic are 22-32, and aren’t making the playoffs. But they needed a Point Guard, and Fultz immediately provides a higher upside than DJ Augustin. I haven’t even discussed Fultz’s strengths. He’s electric going driving to the rim and an incredible finisher. He possesses great size (6’4″) for a PG and has elite defensive potential. He’s not Simmons, but he’s an incredible passer in his own right. He can provide the electricity Orlando lacked during years of mediocrity.

The bigger problem Orlando faces is what to do with Nikola Vucevic. The veteran Center has steadily improved and is in the midst of his best season, rendering an All-Star selection. A free agent to be, Orlando just watched their final chance to get something back for Vucevic pass. Now they have to make a decision–do they offer him the max-contract that he deserves, with Mo Bamba waiting in arms? Or do they watch him go for nothing and unleash Mo Bamba? It’s a very difficult decision, as Vucevic is the perfect do-it-all big man in the modern NBA, but Bamba is a physical specimen that could very well develop to Vucevic’s level at a much lower cost, and also has somewhat of a brand having a song named after him. They probably choose the latter and take the chance Markelle Fultz and Mo Bamba are the duo that take Orlando back to the playoffs. It’s a shame they couldn’t have secured some assets from Vucevic and/or offset the 1st round pick they gave away for Fultz. Collecting assets for a future Orlando Magic team significantly the marketing boost from getting their first All-Star representative since Dwight Howard.

And I have confidence Fultz is going to figure it out. The “Shot Doctor” who fixes the Markelle Fultz jumper is going to become a very wealthy and coveted individual. No more cold weather, big market pressure, and impatient fans. The biggest news we’re waiting on is if Fultz’s “injury” transfers to Orlando, because what he really needs are minutes. Markelle Fultz needs to be on a basketball court playing NBA games with people watching in the stands. And if he air balls a few shots who the hell cares? It might not be pretty, but Fultz needs to continue working through the failure. Like I said the Magic aint going anywhere this season. Credit to them for making a move to try and get better whether than settle for constant losing.

I guess this is me officially hitching my wagon to the Markelle Fultz. Everyone else is calling him one b-word, I’ll use another: breakthrough player. So him and Trae Young. Those are my two guys, with Michael Porter Jr. still yet to play with the Nuggets. The Hawks and Magic play on St. Patrick’s Day, which also is Selection Sunday, which is shaping up to be the biggest day in my journalism career.