Former Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson says Markelle Fultz can't focus on the outside noise and just has to figure out how to be the best version of himself on the basketball court.
Fultz is still recovering from Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. It's unknown when the former No. 1 overall pick will make his Magic debut.
Jameer Nelson has spent some time around Markelle Fultz and says the guard is a “great kid and he wants to be good.”
“You make the investment in terms of trading for him, so you’re willing to make it work no matter what has to take place. Markelle, I’ve been around him a little bit, and he’s a great kid and he wants to be good. It’s an unfortunate situation with the injury, but it’s a reality of the game and you have to deal with it. Once you become an NBA player, you become an NBA player; nobody feels sorry for you,” Nelson told Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
“The one thing I would do is when he’s ready to play, he needs to go play. He needs to prove to himself that he’s ready to play. You can’t worry about what everybody else thinks. You can’t worry about what your teammates think or the media thinks. He has to worry about what he thinks and what makes him comfortable. And if he’s going to play with the injury, he has to figure out a way to play with the injury and be effective. Like I said, they made an investment in trading for him, and if they didn’t think they could help him out, they wouldn’t have made that investment.”
Fultz has career averages of 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from beyond the arc and 53.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Fultz has only played in 33 NBA games due to scapular muscle imbalance in his right shoulder and Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
The Magic acquired Fultz from the Phiadelphia 76ers at the 2019 February trade deadline.