Is Markelle Fultz Still in the NBA?

Markelle Fultz was the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but he’s struggled to find his footing in the league. Is he still in the NBA?

Who is Markelle Fultz?

Markelle Fultz was the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Philadelphia
76ers. He played college basketball at the University of Washington. He is currently a free agent.

His NBA Career

Markelle Fultz was the number one pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Sixers. He played 14 games his rookie year and then missed the rest of the season and the entire next season with a shoulder injury. In 2019, he was traded to the Orlando Magic. He played 52 games for the Magic, averaging 12 points per game. He was then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020.

His Time with the 76ers

Fultz was the first overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft by the Philadelphia
76ers. He played 14 games during his rookie season before being sidelined for
four months due to a right shoulder injury that led to changes in his shooting
mechanics. He returned to play the final seven games of the season. The following
offseason, he was traded to the Orlando Magic.

His Time with the Orlando Magic

Fultz entered the NBA with much fanfare as the first overall pick in the 2017 draft. At just 19 years old, he was seen as a can’t-miss prospect with all-star potential. Fultz was supposed to be the answer to the Philadelphia 76ers’ long-awaited search for a true point guard.

However, things did not go as planned. Fultz struggled mightily in his one season with the Sixers, averaging just 7.1 points and 3.8 assists while shooting 41 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range. His turnovers were also a problem, as he averaged 3.4 per game. Fultz’s shooting woes were so bad that he completely changed his shooting form during the season, which only made things worse.

By the time the 2018-19 season rolled around, it was clear that Fultz was not going to be able to live up to his billing as the top pick in the draft. The Sixers decided to part ways with him, trading him to the Orlando Magic for Jonathon Simmons and two future draft picks in February of 2019.

At first, it seemed like maybe a change of scenery would do Fultz some good. He averaged 12 points and 5 assists in 19 games with Orlando after being traded, and he even showed flashes of his old self on occasion. However, those moments were few and far between, and it quickly became apparent that Fultz still had significant problems with his jump shot.

After just one year with the Magic, Orlando decided that they had seen enough of Fultz and declined to pick up his fourth-year option for the 2020-21 season. He is now a free agent, and it is unclear if any team will be willing to give him another chance after everything that has happened over the last two years.

His Current Situation

As of right now, Markelle Fultz is not in the NBA. He is, however, still under contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been paying him his $9.75 million salary while he has been away from the team. Fultz has not played in an NBA game since November 19, 2018, but he did play in four games with the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers’ G League affiliate, during the 2019-20 season.

His Injuries

Markelle Fultz has had a pretty tough go of it since being drafted by the Philadelphia
76ers with the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. The former Washington Huskies
standout was supposed to be the next big thing in the NBA, but injuries and a weird
shooting form have held him back. Let’s take a look at what’s happened to Markelle Fultz
and his current situation.

Fultz missed most of his rookie season due to a shoulder injury that caused him to lose
feeling in his fingers and drastically change his shooting form. He came back for a few
games at the end of the season, but looked completely lost out on the court. The Sixers
ultimately shut him down for the rest of the year.

Fultz missed most of last season as well, appearing in just 19 games. He looked much better
in those games, but was still clearly fighting through both rust and the yips. The Sixers
ultimately decided that he wasn’t ready to play and shut him down for the remainder of
the season.

His Retirement

Markelle Fultz’s NBA career might be over. The Philadelphia 76ers announced Monday that the 21-year-old guard, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2017, will miss the rest of the season and “undergo a surgical procedure on his right shoulder.” It’s not yet clear what that procedure will entail, but it’s likely to sideline Fultz for an extended period of time.

Fultz has been plagued by shoulder problems dating back to last season, when he was limited to just 14 games. He missed most of this season as well, appearing in only four games before being shut down again in November. He had been working his way back and was set to return to action last week, but he suffered a setback and was unable to play.

Now, it appears his career may be over. Shoulder injuries are notoriously difficult to recover from, especially for athletes who rely on their shooting ability like Fultz does. It’s possible he’ll never be the same player again, and even if he is able to eventually return to the court, it’s doubtful he’ll ever reach the heights many expected him to reach when he was drafted first overall.

For now, Fultz’s future in the NBA is very much up in the air. He still has two years left on his rookie contract, but it’s hard to imagine the 76ers keeping him around if he can’t stay healthy and contribute. His career may have already come to an abrupt end, just two years after it began.

His Future

Three years ago, Markelle Fultz was the first overall pick in the NBA draft. Fultz was supposed to be the next big thing. He was compared to Magic Johnson and was supposed to bring the Philadelphia 76ers back to glory. However, things haven’t quite worked out that way. Fultz has been plagued by injuries and has struggled to find his place in the league. Some people are wondering if he’s still in the NBA. Let’s take a look.

His Comeback

Markelle Fultz was the number one pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He was a 6’4″ guard out of the University of Washington. He was drafted by the Philadelphia ers, and expectations were high. He was compared to James Harden and Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, his rookie season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, and he only played in 14 games.

Fultz underwent surgery on his right shoulder in May of 2018. The ers said that he would be out for 3-6 months, but he ended up missing the entire 2018-19 season. Many people were wondering if he would ever play in the NBA again.

Fultz made his comeback in the 2019-20 season. He was traded to the Orlando Magic and played in 29 games for them. He averaged 12 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. His shooting percentage was 41%, and his three-point shooting percentage was 28%.

Markelle Fultz is still in the NBA, and he is slowly working his way back to being the player that everyone thought he would be.

His Retirement

Markelle Fultz, the number one pick in the 2017 NBA draft, has had a difficult few years. After a promising start to his rookie season, he was sidelined with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss most of the year. He then came back for the beginning of his second season, but was quickly sidelined again with the same injury. He was traded to the Orlando Magic in 2019 and has spent most of his time since then rehabbing from his injuries.

Now, at the age of 22, Fultz is facing an uncertain future. His injuries have caused him to lose much of the athleticism and shooting ability that made him such a high prospect coming out of college. It is unclear if he will ever be able to play at an NBA level again. Some have even suggested that he may have to retire from basketball altogether.

Only time will tell what Markelle Fultz’s future holds. For now, he remains on the Magic’s roster and continues to work towards making a comeback.