SALT LAKE CITY — Markelle Fultz’s name doesn’t pop to mind when considering NBA players with the luckiest careers.
Before he even started his rookie year for the Philadelphia 76ers, Fultz was dealing with an odd shoulder injury that had messed with his shooting form and accuracy. It was eventually diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome, a group of disorders that can cause numbness, pain and weakness in the neck, shoulder and arm. He was supposed to be a part of The Process Sixers’ core, along with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Instead, the early part of his career became a soap opera/mystery hybrid, as the 76ers and their fans wondered whether they would ever get a return on the player they traded up for to select in 2017. He went to the Orlando Magic to try to find some level of stability.
But being the top pick, as he was in 2017, comes with its perks. It meant that, as he looked to restart his career after a 21-game cameo last year in Sacramento, he could take his time.
“I’ve been blessed enough to be able to provide for my family, and also have the opportunity to do this,” Fultz said Monday, the day he signed a 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors, returning to the league after 11 months away. “So it’s truly a blessing that I was able to do it and not have to be rushed to go play and listen to my body.”
The 27-year-old Fultz averaged 9.4 points, 6.2 assists and 2.2 turnovers in nearly 24 minutes per game in his first five appearances with Raptors 905. He played for the sixth time in Salt Lake City on Monday against the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars. As such, he could join the Raptors to play the Utah Jazz on Monday. He checked in late in the first quarter.
Since he was not on an NBA roster after March 1, he could be available for the Raptors in the playoffs, should they qualify.
“Being able to see these guys and see the way they compete on both ends of the floor and see how hard they play, that’s my brand of basketball,” Fultz said. “I believe that I can just help with playmaking, being able to help on both ends, two-way (basketball) — defensively, being disruptive, offence, just helping these guys get open shots and also creating for myself as well. I think I’m a great playmaker, and I’m able to read the game and control the game, as far as being a point guard and understanding when guys need shots.”
He should get a chance in Toronto, with the Raptors struggling for bench production lately. Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead are the only two point guards on Toronto’s roster. Quickley missed Monday night’s game at Utah with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, and Shead has been mired in a shooting slump. Before the game, coach Darko Rajaković said he hopes Quickley will be available for Wednesday’s game against the Clippers in Los Angeles. However, Quickley had been playing through some discomfort for a few weeks, with its getting worse Sunday night in Phoenix.
Fultz said he was working on his whole body, not just one specific injury, in between NBA stops. He said he could have tried to get back to playing before the season, adding he was open to playing in the G League or overseas, but he didn’t want to try until he was feeling as healthy as possible.
He said he started to seriously consider coming back around the midway point of the NBA season. Fultz has battled knee injuries throughout his career, including a torn ACL in his left knee in 2021, dealing with ongoing discomfort in the same knee in his last full season, when he played 43 games for the Magic. His three-year, $50 million contract expired after the season.
“I think that’s the most important thing I’ve learned over the years, is just in order to give my best, I have to be healthy,” Fultz said. “So I just took that time to do that again this offseason, and really just listen to my body and not rush anything. (I) didn’t worry about what other people were saying, didn’t worry about what people think. I just was really worried about my process and what I needed to feel comfortable and feel the way I know I need to feel in order to go out there and produce the way I want to.”
Fultz became a defence-first rotation player after his trade to the Magic between his second and third seasons. In all, he has played 255 games, averaging 10.4 points and 4.4 assists per game. He has shot just 28 percent from 3 on 296 career attempts.