Assuming the Orlando Magic keep the top overall pick that was awarded to the team during this week’s NBA Draft Lottery, it will have two No. 1 overall picks on the roster.
Mike Watters/USA Today Sports
Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz
Mike Watters/USA Today Sports
Markelle Fultz
Likely either Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren or Auburn’s Jabari Smith will join 2017 top overall pick Markelle Fultz in Orlando.
And with the draft lottery circling the news this past week, Locked On Podcasts took the opportunity to rank the No. 1 overall picks of the past decade, and Fultz didn’t rank too high.
The podcast ranked Fultz ninth out of 10 prospects, with only 2013 top pick Anthony Bennett ranking lower.
The list is extremely competitive considering the No. 8 player on the list, Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, was an All-Star starter this past season.
Fultz has had an extremely difficult first five seasons in the league. After being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fultz suffered a shoulder injury that kept him on the sidelines through majority of his tenure in the City of Brotherly Love. He played just 33 games during parts of two seasons before he was dealt to the Magic at the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline.
While Fultz began to show more promise during his first full season with the Magic in 2019-20, he tore his ACL at the beginning of the 2020-21 season and his season ended after just eight games.
The injury took over a year to recover as Fultz didn’t return until Feb. 28 of this year. He played in 18 games down the stretch for the Magic, averaging 10.8 points and 5.5 assists per game.
Jamahl Mosley
Jamahl Mosley
Jamahl Mosley
Now heading into his fourth full season in Orlando, Fultz will compete for a starting guard spot on the team next season alongside Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs. And hopefully he’ll have a clean slate to prove why he was considered for the top overall pick once upon a time.
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