Say what you will about Markelle Fultz, but the former No. 1 overall pick and now Orlando Magic guard clearly has heart.
Fultz sealed a critical win for the Magic on Sunday evening after getting a late steal and taking the ball coast-to-coast for a big slam, plus the foul.
Markelle Fultz iced the Wizards with big plays on both ends 🙌#MagicAboveAll pic.twitter.com/Qy3PADhhHi
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) November 18, 2019
Orlando led the Washington Wizards by just three with under a minute left to play in the fourth quarter despite having led by as much as 18 points. Even worse for the Magic, the Wizards had the ball with a chance to tie the game.
Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal drove into the lane before attempting to kick the ball out to the perimeter. Fultz made a terrific effort to read the play, recovering in time to steal the ball and dunk on Wizards big man Davis Bertans on the other end.
Fultz finished the game with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in 26 minutes of action, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He has now started in seven straight games for the Magic.
This one play alone is indicative of why scouts were so high on Fultz heading into the 2017 NBA Draft. He has tremendous instincts and outrageous athleticism at the point guard spot.
However, this season has still been a bit of a struggle for Fultz. Although Magic head coach Steve Clifford moved him into the starting lineup, Fultz has not been much of a playmaker. He was averaging 9.8 points and 3.2 assists heading into Sunday's game while shooting just 16 percent from deep.
The Magic need to find a way to get Fultz more involved in the offense and especially in transition. He had a thunderous dunk on a fast break prior to the late-game heroics, and he is converting when he gets to the rim.
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