Orlando Magic: Will Markelle Fultz get his career back on track?

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NBA Trade Rumors Philadelphia 76ers Markelle Fultz (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The beginning of the end?

Markelle Fultz’s rookie season got off to an unexpected and downright bizarre start…

A few games into the year, it became apparent that Fultz’s shooting ability had taken a little trip off a cliff! His form had completely changed. It looked unnatural and had several hitches in it that we hadn’t seen at all in his college days.

At Washington, he was a silky-smooth scorer with a slick release from range. Yet somehow, when he came into the NBA, he could barely hit a free throw.

It was clear that something had gone very very wrong. But what, exactly?

Many people assumed that he was dealing with some sort of injury that was being kept from the public. That could have explained why his mechanics had totally changed.

Others believed that this issue was almost entirely mental and that his appalling shooting was mainly a result of an inexplicable loss of confidence.

The truth was that no one really knew with any certainty and that’s partially what made this case so bizarre and so incredibly unique. Markelle wasn’t really saying anything and the Sixers organization were keeping things pretty close to the chest as well.

Anyway, after only a few games, Fultz was ruled out indefinitely, all but confirming that he was dealing with some sort of serious injury. However, nobody seemed to know exactly what the issue was.

He did return to the court towards the end of the regular season and even had some good moments and flashes of the guy we all wanted – and expected – to see from day one. In a game against the Bucks, Markelle actually became the youngest player ever to record a triple-double!

After the regular season though, Fultz would hardly play in the playoffs and that would close the book on his first year in the league.

Now, due to all of the storylines and sheer mystery surrounding Markelle Fultz in his first season, he entered the offseason with a lot of questions surrounding his career and his future. There was a lot of worry and concern of course, but there were also some signs of encouragement.