ORLANDO, FLA- As first reported by Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Magic Guard Markelle Fultz fractured his left big toe during a preseason workout, sidelining him for the foreseeable future. Fortunately for Fultz and Orlando, the 6’3″, 209-pound guard will not need to undergo surgery for the aforementioned injury. In spite of this, this is a crushing blow to Orlando, who has already seen Veteran Guard Gary Harris suffer a season-threatening injury during the 2022-2023 NBA offseason.
At just 24 years old, Fultz has already endured a myriad of injuries throughout his five-year career. Shortly after being selected No. 1 by Philadelphia in the 2017 NBA Draft, Fultz suffered thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve ailment that affected the feeling in his arm and hand, in his shooting arm. Two seasons later, Fultz was sent from Philadelphia to Orlando, and seemed to recover from the thoracic outlet syndrome. Unfortunately, just seven games into his tenure with the Magic, Fultz tore his ACL on January Sixth, 2021, and was unable to return to the court for 13 straight months. After returning and playing in 18 games last season for Orlando, Fultz’s Foot Fracture is the newest setback he’s suffered in his early NBA career.
Luckily for Fultz and Orlando, there’s plenty of optimism for Fultz to enjoy a smooth and quick recovery.
“The bone healing typically [takes] 3-6 weeks,” David Lee, MD, orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon and chair of the orthopedics department at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, told Price at Orlando Sentinel. “And kind of depending on that, obviously there’s going to be a little bit of rehab to get him up to speed. The range, maybe, for returning to play would be somewhere between 4-8 weeks.”
Based on when Fultz’s injury happened, Lee’s 4-8 week timeframe for Fultz’s return would be from mid-October through mid-November. The Magic begin their season against the Detroit Pistons on October 19th, playing seven games in October and eight games before November 16.
It’s worth noting that when Fultz hasn’t been plagued by injury, he has flashed signs of stardom. During the 2019-2020 NBA season, Fultz managed to play in all 72 of Orlando’s regular-season games, averaging 12.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.1 APG, and 1.3 SPG while shooting 46.5% from the field, 26.7% from three-point range, and 73.0% from the free-throw line. Even though the 2019-2020 regular season was interrupted by the Covid-19 Pandemic, for Fultz to be able to stay healthy in an inadequate situation is quite impressive. Furthermore, Fultz also displayed resiliency after spending 13 months in rehabilitation for his ACL. In 18 games following his extended absence, Fultz averaged 10.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.1 SPG while shooting 47.4% from the field, 23.5% from downtown, and 80.6% from the free-throw line.
In reference to Fultz’s extended injury history, there have been plenty of rumors regarding Fultz’s future in Orlando. When viewing Orlando’s current roster, the rumors make sense, as the Magic boast one of the NBA’s youngest and deepest backcourts. In addition to Fultz, second-year Head Coach Jamahl Mosley was expected to split playing time between former first-round picks Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and R.J. Hampton. With the possible reports of Fultz missing 4-8 weeks, Orlando may have to call up Zavier Simpson, Kevon Harris, Drake Jefferies, or Joel Ayayi from the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G-League Affiliate Team.
In spite of this, it seems that Orlando is content with letting Fultz continue to heal as the 2022-2023 NBA season progresses. As it currently stands, Fultz is in the second year of the three-year, $50 Million Contract Extension he signed on December 21, 2020. Similar to the 2021-2022 season, Fultz is set to make $16.5 Million during the 2022-2023 season, and will then make $17 Million during the 2023-2024 season. Even though Orlando could easily trade Fultz’s salary to a fellow NBA team, the Magic haven’t done that yet with Jonathan Isaac, who has missed far more time with injuries but is in the midst of a four-year, $64 Million Contract Extension.
PRESS RELEASE:@OrlandoMagic guard Markelle Fultz suffers fracture in big left toe#MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/166NPmIF5S
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) September 25, 2022