OKC Thunder vs. Magic, Nov. 5 replay: 3 keys in the match

Three keys to OKC Thunder win vs. Magic

Fultz can play ball:

With his rookie season mired by a shoulder injury and a lost shot, Markelle Fultz was in jeopardy of becoming the worst punchline of top draft picks in NBA history. His trade to the Magic was a blessing in disguise as it allowed him to get a fresh start leaving behind all that plagued him in Philadelphia. And — surprise — the youngster can hoop.

No, he won’t likely ever be a primary scoring threat but all the qualities that made him a top draft choice are on display in Orlando. He began the season on the bench but by game six of the season, he was moved to the starting rotation where he remained.

In his two seasons with the 76ers, he appeared in 14 and 19 games respectively. Yet, he’s been an iron man in Orlando appearing in 64 of the 65 games (the most by any Magic player).

His stat line in this match is indicative of his seasonal stats. He scored 13 points on 5 of 10 from the field (1 of 2 from deep), adding three rebounds, four assists, and a steal. His seasonal splits are 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals. All career highs except the rebounds.

Fultz’s shooting splits for the season are *47.3 percent from the field, 25.4 from deep, and *72.3 percent from the line (*career highs). The biggest leap for Fultz is his massive improvement at the charity stripe which is probably the best indicator that his shot issues were short term.