Despite the spate of injuries that derailed Derrick Rose's career, Markelle Fultz of the Orlando Magic believes that the Detroit Pistons guard is a Hall of Famer.
“He’s a Hall of Famer in my eyes,” the 21-year-old Fultz said of the 31-year-old Rose, per John Denton of nba.com. “I got a chance to meet him this summer (while working out) and he’s one of the greats in this league. Even after his injuries, he’s still a great player, so I know he’s going to be fast and getting to the spots that he wants to go to. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and I’ve got to prepare for him.”
Fultz's comments came before Monday's duel between the Pistons and Magic, which the former won 103-88. Fultz, now the starting guard for Orlando, dropped 16 points, four rebounds and three assists.
It has been a good year for Fultz thus far. The first overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft spent his first two seasons marred by injuries, including the controversial shoulder condition which affected his jump shot.
The Washington Huskies product might be taking a page from Rose's book. Once considered the best player in the world, Rose's career skidded off after suffering a bunch of knee injuries. Despite this, Rose did not lose hope and continued to work on his game. It became his priority to be healthy, fix his landing mechanics and overall conditioning.
No one expected Rose to bounce back. But yet here he is, still in the NBA and inspiring other players to persevere and work hard — even when the odds are stacked against them.
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