ORLANDO, Fla. — After being sidelined for over a year, Markelle Fultz will make his return to the Orlando Magic’s lineup Monday against the Indiana Pacers at Amway Center.
Fultz, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 6, 2021.
He was averaging 14.3 points and 6.1 assists through seven games before the injury, finishing with career-high averages of 12.9 points and 5.4 assists after going down in the eighth game.
“I’m just blessed just to be able to, one, be where I am after going through an injury like this and being able to fight and just be back on the court with my brothers and friends,” Fultz said on the team’s official podcast “Orlando Magic Pod Squad”. “So, one, I’m just blessed and I’m thankful for the process and the journey that I’ve been through. I’m very excited just to get out there with my teammates and go out there and compete.”
Fultz, 23, started doing contact drills in late November and returned to practice in December, with the Magic taking their time with his recovery and not publicly disclosing timelines for his return.
He’ll rejoin an Orlando backcourt that includes Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, Jalen Suggs and R.J. Hampton, the latter returning from a medial collateral ligament sprain in the Magic’s Friday home win over the Houston Rockets.
Harris, Hampton and Suggs have yet to play with Fultz, who also hasn’t played with Franz Wagner or Wendell Carter Jr.
“We have a great group of guys who are so young,” Fultz said. “The sky’s the limit and it’s exciting to see what we’re doing. I’m super excited.”
The Magic acquired Fultz from the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2019 ahead of the trade deadline. Fultz had a rocky tenure in Philadelphia, only playing 33 games across 1 1/2 seasons. He had a nerve issue in his right shoulder that was later diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome, which can “cause shoulder and neck pain and numbness in your fingers,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
“Me going through injuries before, especially with my shoulder, understanding that not rushing things and understanding that it’s a process even though some days you might feel great and some days you might not,” Fultz said. “Just understanding your body and listening to your body. That’s a big adjustment and advantage that I had going into this rehab this time. I knew that there isn’t any rush. I have to be patient and I had to listen to my body. It’s been a long time, a long time waiting.”
After missing the remainder of the 2018-19 season following his trade to Orlando, Fultz helped the Magic clinch the playoffs after averaging 12.1 points (46.5% shooting), 5.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 72 regular-season games during the 2019-20 season that was shortened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He’s in the first season of a 3-year, $50 million extension ($35 million guaranteed) that he signed in December 2020. Fultz has a $16.5 million cap hit for the 2022-23 season, but only $2 million of his $17 million salary is guaranteed for 2023-24.
“I feel a lot stronger this time around,” Fultz said. “This injury has helped me work on a lot of things. This is probably the best my body has felt in a long time. I’m talking about full body. I can feel my muscles. Just all around — core, conditioning — this is probably the best I’ve felt coming back and being able to play basketball.”
Fultz expressed his excitement for his long-awaited return, with the Magic (14-47) also playing the Pacers Wednesday at Amway Center before playing back-to-back road games against the Toronto Raptors (Friday) and Memphis Grizzlies (Saturday).
“It’s going to be a lot,” Fultz said. “I love the game so much and I never took it for granted, but I appreciate it way differently now. I just want to be able to go out there and give it my all and just show people how much I appreciate the game and how much I am thankful for how much the game has done for me, my family and [the] people it’s helped me touch.”
