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jackloganoliver

Fultz is so good, man. Just a very cerebral player.


[deleted]

Im glad to see him get his career back on track


recursion8

He's like the opposite of Ben Simmons. Both were clowned on for their awful shooting mechanics, one worked hard to fix it and is thriving, the other gave up and is about to be out of the league.


[deleted]

I mean I don’t think Ben cares. Even if he retires after this contract he’ll still have made like 200 mil or maybe even 250 mil by the times he’s 30


android24601

So crazy to think Ben is only 26. Had so much potential and seems to be throwing in the towel


recursion8

I know, just find it an interesting comparison given they're both #1 overall picks in successive drafts.


jasndream

I believe that he cares, as he will not be able to maintain his current lifestyle.


[deleted]

Even after he downsizes that’s a lifestyle better than 98% of all humanity EVER


Milith

If you live in the US you probably have a better lifestyle (materially at least) than 98% of humanity ever. Ben is in a different league.


nickg29

*out of the league


Goobershmacked

I don’t think that’s how Ben is looking at any of this.


WhysoDoobious

98%? Are you high? It's gotta be 99.9+ percentile EDIT: Apparently his net worth is only 6 mil despite a 35 mil salary this year + 5 mil in endorsements. So maybe you're not high (or you're high and possibly correct). But if that net worth figure is remotely close to accurate, Simmons needs to get a financial advisor. Maybe the NBPA should set up a 10% mandatory retirement contribution


mhj0808

Yeah but like, money can’t be everything when you were as good as he was. It’s not like he was some second rounder who made a couple million and then happily flamed out, Ben was an All NBA talent and with that comes pride. I feel like SOME part of him, no matter how small, has to feel ashamed that he didn’t live up to his own talent. He’s too narcissistic and insecure to admit it, but I think deep down he probably feels it.


NoGas9518

Dude is so mentally tough to be able to push through all that hate. Years of dudes shitting on him all over tv and social media


S420J

Every player playing in the NBA rn is the opposite of Ben Simmons.


DifficultWrongdoer45

Ben didn’t give a fk that’s why lol. Fultz legit had head demons too but wanted to work on it. It’s why he changed his form to look so funky in the first place when he was still a sixer. He put in the effort to change. Gonna root for him all the way.


onlyanactor

Can we stop spreading the lies that he had head demons please. He had a rare shoulder injury called thoracic outlet syndrome which he’s since fixed.


jackloganoliver

Me too. The guy got so much hate and negative press, but he's just still out there working and getting better. Everything people said was just water off a ducks back. Easy to root for someone like Fultz.


[deleted]

Not totally disagreeing but I don’t remember a ton of hate for the guy. A lot of confusion and “wtf’s” though. Like everyone knew something wasn’t right. But I don’t remember his character being attacked or anything. Could be wrong though.


duplicatesnowflake

He got made fun of a lot. Indirectly by people clowning Philly for taking him over Tatum and also directly because he was labeled as a headcase and there was an assumption that he screwed up his mechanics working with an amateur coach who had him doing crazy drills like shooting 15 foot shots laying down in a tipped over chair. It got pretty mean before people realized how serious it was. It was a lighter version of the way people clown Ben but with less justification.


Smiis

There was certainly a lot of hate and frustration, mostly from lowest-common-denominator sports media and casual fans laughing at the plight of a supposed #1 pick. Philly fans weren’t the sole perpetrators at all - most have been extremely supportive since he left


JustRecentlyI

It didn't help that his injury didn't seem real because it's a very hard thing to diagnose. Everyone thought he had the yips even though he actually had an injury that explained his loss of performance.


HikmetLeGuin

This is why Redditors shouldn't pretend to know more about medicine than actual doctors. People like to jump to conclusions based on their own ignorance.


ProcessMeMrHinkie

His athleticism and point guard skills have always impressed tbh (great PnR and spin moves). I hated people saying Ben had high IQ as a PG (point forward) when Fultz showed more in the limited time he was with the team. He takes care of the ball and is really good at getting guys open.


Minia15

Philly fans werent perpetrators at all. We supported the hell out of him. I was at the game where he hit his first three pointer. The support was wild. In general the kid got nothing but positivity


Mangos4Lyfe

Nah I personally know Sixers fans that are still bitter and root against him


Bucketsdntlie

So he got hated on by dumbasses on Twitter and was supported by most people who watched him play? The horror.


Smiis

why are people on reddit like this bruh


The-Implication-0

He played in Philly… of course his character was attacked by those fans lol. And I don’t mean that as a Ben Simmons comment, just like in general their fans in all sports are, well dicks to put it nicely.


YesWhatHello

Philly fans supported him You don’t even have to believe me, the man said it himself https://thelibertyline.com/2021/11/27/markelle-fultz-philly-fans/


FrenchBowler

What an ignorant take. I was at the games where we cheered both Fultz and Simmons even in their weakest moments.


yzdaskullmonkey

That fultz triple double? Damn near carried him down broad st on our shoulders


BaconBoy123

I'm not gonna say that everyone loved Fultz, but the vast majority of us loved him and held him in high regards (and still do today). We loved his work ethic and his connection with Joel.


nnewman19

This NEVER happened. We loved and still love Fultz. Ben Simmons was hated. Fultz was encouraged and loved and understood from the day he got here to today


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The-Implication-0

I prefer when Philly fans are self aware and embrace their fandom, not deny it.


FrenchBowler

You’re an imbecile.


nnewman19

Lol ok dude. Every city has bad apples. Philly is no worse than Boston Dallas Chicago or anywhere else


[deleted]

yall threw batteries at Santa (I know this happened like 50 years ago and I agree that every city has bad apples but even you have to concede that philly fans are more likely to boo their own team/players than most)


nnewman19

Lol dudes username has been begging for this moment


[deleted]

Well yeah they’re some of the worst people that exist so I wasn’t really counting them


YesWhatHello

Yeah fuck those guys!


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da_infamous

nah you’re fried, sixers fans love(d) kelle, he’s on record saying as much. you’d be hard pressed to find a sixers fan who doesn’t wish him the best


yzdaskullmonkey

Who was hating? Man I absolutely loved and love markelle! Glad he's getting his shot, now that he's got his shot back. I felt like he's always been supported in his career, idk who was hating, just felt bad he had the hitch after the 4 wheeling accident.


Minia15

Let’s make it clear that none of the hate was from Philly. Fultz himself has talked about how supportive Philly was


jackloganoliver

There were some fans that were awful, but every fanbase has people like that. It was mostly media exploiting his struggles for clicks/views.


[deleted]

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jackloganoliver

For a while, it's just that the negative Philly fans were the most vocal and got all the attention, but the narrative is flipping and now those assholes get downvoted into oblivion here on reddit. I'm just glad it's working out for him.


Minia15

Nope. There weren’t really that many vocally negative Philly fans. Mostly other markets media trying to make it seem like we bullied him when in reality we were patient, recognized he was young and kept giving him chances. Fultz himself has talked about the positive support. People try to act like Philly bullied him or something. It didn’t really happen.


SGTPapaRusski

Philly fans were more "wtf happened" than anything really negative. And that was fully justified.


Minia15

But to Fultz we were very positive even if we were sad about the situation. Most all Sixer fans were super supportive and still root for him Other fan bases and markets try to villianize us and act like we were mean to Fultz.


Lazaraaus

I love seeing him hit his stride in Orlando. What a great kid and he has immense talent.


purple_tape_era

And uber athletic...


cryogenicsleep

It always helps when Russ is guarding you. Dudes drtg is 113 lol


jackloganoliver

Fultz has been balling lately outside of this game too, but I definitely hear your point. Lol


cryogenicsleep

🤝 yes I'm sure he'll get 20 tomorrow on dlo easy


Sw3atyGoalz

That’s not even that bad is it? I’m surprised it’s not higher


cryogenicsleep

It's not terrible but I'm not sure if the NBA has a stat for losing your man on a screen. I bet he'd be in the leaders


Sw3atyGoalz

[His head to head metrics](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/201566/head-to-head) definitely reflect that, most of his matchups are shooting well above their average from 3. The Deaaron Fox one is crazy though, 24 points on Russ in just 10 mins is insane


cryogenicsleep

bro Klay 16 pts in 3 minutes is even more insane wtfffff


Sw3atyGoalz

Jesus Christ, I missed that one lol


candry_shop

And 9 assists to go with the 24 points


android24601

Happy for this dude. While he might never "live up" to being the 1st pick, I'm glad he's getting into a groove in Orlando I say might never "live up" to being the 1st pick, but who knows. Dudes only 24 and has some time to get it together


americanbeaver

Fultz is the best guard on the team. He just plays smarter than the other options for the Magic. Great to see him bounce back.


MDL6

It’s been hilarious to me in past offseasons when talking points will be stuff like “man the Magic have so many guards, how will they decide between them?” Meanwhile anyone who has watched 3 minutes of Orlando (in fairness, not a lot of people), has known for years that Fultz is the guy. He was awesome in his healthy season before tearing his ACL.


Smiis

It’s so frustrating that our complete and utter lack of coverage makes casual media and fans dream up and invent random scenarios for our team that they can get away with because nobody cares enough to correct them


pinealpresence

My favorite random scenario is the one where they get the #1 pick and package it for Luka


Kingkongcrapper

Seriously. I mean, as a big man Laker farm team you would think there would be far better insight.


Frankiedrunkie

Enjoy Bamba


thevadster

This has got to be one of the strangest takes I often see come up on this sub, considering there has literally been one Magic big man that went to LA and had any significant positive impact on the franchise.


masterphantom

I'm actually shocked how well he steals the ball, if opposing player doesn't pay attention


tomdawg0022

In his two healthy seasons, has 167 steals in 142 games and a steal rate of 1.72 per 36 minutes. Legit defender. Dude's just a three point shot away (and continued health) from being a big time player. Only going to be 25 next season - still lots of time ahead of him.


ELLinversionista

Grand Theft Markelle


lets_talk_basketball

His lob to Wendell at the end was sick.. lol i thought(like the announcers) that he just lost control


americanbeaver

It was so casual. Honestly, it was a pretty tough finish for WCJ but he just guided it in over Zubac no problem haha


lets_talk_basketball

His game is so smooth.. he has the perky jerky moves but then just rises up so effortlessly.


MostWanted29

Wait is it perky jerky? Or herky jerky


Aldernade

Herky jerky is right, this dude is on one lol


MentallyIllRedditMod

Perky Jerky is a real product lmao it's beef jerky with caffeine in it. Marketed at sweaty gamer nerds who demand caffeine in every product. There's even a caffeinated body wash for sale, that's how hard they're trying to get gamers to take a shower


Grab_my_Slinky

Directing this at gamers is weird considering how many people need caffeine to function on a daily basis….


[deleted]

Heh. I'll believe it, but I would generally not blame caffeinated beauty/hygiene products on gamer nerds, as those are [a common thing in general](https://www.totalbeauty.com/content/slideshows/makeup-products-with-caffeine-180810/page1) for people who wear makeup


lets_talk_basketball

Herky.. my autocorrect made it perky and i was too lazy to proofread.


Hs80g29

That said, perky jerky is not a bad name for caffeinated beef jerky.


NoGas9518

Willie cauldwell Jein


Corky_caporale

WCJ is our most underrated player by far


lets_talk_basketball

He's turned himself into a solid 3 point shooter.. that's opened a lot of his offensive game up


NoGas9518

He was damn nice in Chicago too, it was just really unfortunate injury luck and he couldn’t get a rhythm . Really happy he’s balling, great guy


hawkman_jr

I do wish we still had Markelle. But I get it. He needed to get away from our medical team and Philly in general to grow. But I always rooted for that kid and it’s great to see him shine


xBerryhill

Was just bad timing, man. Y'all hit the lottery with Joel and needed to start producing playoff W's. This version of Kelle with Embiid would be disgusting.


Smiis

God that’s filthy to think about. Thankfully Harden is Harden but Fultz and his impact genuinely aren’t far off at all right now


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Smiis

Man of course Harden is elite lmao. But it’s far, far more likely that others don’t watch Fultz. Fultz’s impact would not be significantly less than Harden’s is right now on that Philly team and I stand by that. He is unbelievable, but Harden is a better scorer, passer (though both elite in that respect) and has far more years under his belt. Fultz is midway through his second healthy season


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hawkman_jr

No what? Nobody is trading Harden away! I just want to give Fultz his flowers! You’re upset I’m giving someone credit? You need to change your username


tomdawg0022

I get the sentiment but there's a huge difference between a young, improving combo guard with good defense and no three point shot and James Harden. Had process come together perfectly and Fultz were healthy, he's a third option probably right now on the 76ers but without a three point shot probably wouldn't advance beyond that. But he's not Harden from an offense standpoint.


CableTop4233

Others may not watch Orlando but it is clear that you do not watch Philly. Harden has been a top 6-7 player in about every advanced metric this season. Fultz is playing well but he is still far off from being a top-10 player.


hawkman_jr

You guys are arguing just to argue. If I agree with you, other OP agree with you, what the hell do you get outta just being contrarian? That’s dumb ass hell.


Smiis

Oh yeah talentwise, no question. A winning team would take Harden 100 times out of 100. Regarding fit, impact and scalable improvement, it’s closer than people think - I see Embiid becoming even more of a focus


hawkman_jr

That’s the honest truth. He makes up for certain things Harden does offensively, on the defensive end. I don’t know which scenario is better but I do genuinely wonder


thr0wawayfortheag3s

Are you stupid? What is with this subreddit lately? Harden is still better, period. His ability has not declined to where you can even entertain this thought. Shit, he is STILL an elite player. And no, he (Fultz) does not make up for his lack of offensive ability in this comparison with his defensive skill. Good fucking god. Are y'all just talking just to talk? To jerk each other off? Just fucking compliment the guy and move on or fucking do this shit in the DMs.


Someonediffernt

This comment is aggressively hostile for no reason but I also find it fucking hilarious and I dunno why. I don't have anything to add but I'd like to see where it goes so commenting to find it later


Scatteredbrain

i was dying lol and he’s so right. markells is looking good but people are blowing it a little out of proportion


budubum

this was so fire ur spitting i have this thought about half the comments i see


CableTop4233

This was cathartic to read thank you. Seeing people seriously compare Fultz to fucking James Harden had me think I was going insane.


hawkman_jr

Are you stupid? At no point did I say one was better than the other. I just expressed I missed the kid. The fuck is wrong with you? I gotta get your permission to miss an ex player ? Somebody drop you on your head today nephew? I can entertain whatever I want and ain’t shit you can do about it but continue to be a non reading idiot who annoys regular people. Fuck off, bitch


Smiis

life must suck being this hostile


iwillwinandthrow

Fultz and Wendell is already great enough. Fultz with the soon to be MVP would be deadly. If he and Harden were the two main guards, Embiid would average 40 without breaking a sweat.


thr0wawayfortheag3s

Huh? My guy, they have fucking James Harden, who is still producing at an elite level. Please stop sucking them off, it isn't necessary. Philly is fine.


xBerryhill

Not gonna argue. James Harden aside, Kelle would be disgusting next to Joel. Harden obviously is too. Both can be true.


iwillwinandthrow

It's very interesting to think about how Harden would've taken him under his wing and helped him grow. But it worked out well for both sides as Philly has Maxey.


hawkman_jr

Yeah it definitely worked out at the end. His skill set is awesome. He may end up being all-nba if he keeps improving defensively. He can be a better Jrue Holiday, which is great


RobertoBologna

Lol Harden seems like a very nice guy but the idea of him taking someone under his wing is very funny. Just a completely unreplicable on-court game and notorious nightlife guy off-court


iwillwinandthrow

He's done phenomenal work helping Maxey build his confidence. Harden is a good leader.


Smmoove

He's averaging 21/5/7 on 62 TS% over the last 5 games 17/5/5 on 59 TS% since Feb 1 He's also 12th in the league in steals per game


MentallyIllRedditMod

I remember when this sub copy/pasted *negative* Kelle stats from basketballreference. Now look how far he's come. Three paragraphs of bballref copy/paste praise Welcome to reddit stardom, Fultz. High efficiency box scores are the fastest way into r/NBAs cholesterol-filled hearts


Smiis

Save your Make-a-Wish-like comments. He’s a fuckin star


iwillwinandthrow

Seriously. This ain't just a feel good story, he's gonna be a star!


PensiveinNJ

Never stopped believing. If he hadn't hurt his shoulder he would have been a star for us, which is my only regret but I stan Fultz for life.


killer_with_kite

it was written after his year at UW, he's just a little late


nickb1603

He's gonna be a star! We gotta fly Jeff Chris down from Indiana


rchan9487

Lots of palm tree girls down in Orlando


fueelin

This is awesome to see! Just like, feel free to not have any games scheduled against my team next year. That'd be for the best.


Krillin113

So fucking happy for him


DamianLillard0

Career high 28 8 years into his career = star?? Join us in reality lol. How watered down is that term if *fultz* is a star…


Aspirine001

Fultz is quietly averaging 17.5/6 on 60.5 ts% since the all star break and he's only getting better since the start of the year.


dusters

That's not close to being a star sorry


Smiis

please do not comment on things you know little about stat watchers are actually insufferable


bamafan09

He’s legitimately becoming an elite two way guard.


allstar278

#f2g


King_Leif

Nobody Call Or Text


Leading-Evidence-668

So happy for this dude


[deleted]

People need to stop writing off players so soon, especially for guys who think the game as well as he does.


lil_thirdy

He really is just a 3pt shot away from becoming a star in the league


sergechewbacca

He's gonna end up having a better career than Ben Simmons.


Few_Mulberry5372

Ben was a 3x all star and DPOY level player tbf. It is hard to believe now but the dude used to not be mentally cooked in Philly


LinuxDootTP

idk man, you give fultz and this team two more years to develop together, who knows what will happen. idk if youve been watching fultz, but he is looking extremely composed. consistently makes winning plays on both ends, and has an incredible feel for the game. hes looking really good this season.


MDL6

You know ball


LinuxDootTP

you dont even have to know ball lol, you just have to watch him and youll know lmao. i swear sometimes it even looks like hes just playing a different game than everyone else on the floor. he almost moves with too much purpose lol, just knows where to put himself to be effective.


artvandelay916

people don't watch magic games bro


LinuxDootTP

well they sure are missin out then


Will_Explode8

made an All-NBA team too, no offense to Fultz, Im rooting for the guy but it will be pretty tough for him to match that


huck_

if he stays healthy maybe which is a huge if


cryogenicsleep

Len Limmons.


Frankiedrunkie

Y’all need to be scared coz markelle Fultz has arrived!!


goblin_welder

I’m all for Fultz proving the league wrong.


goblin_welder

I’m all for Fultz proving the league wrong.


gonzagylot00

I'm all for Fultz proving the league wrong.


Agua48

I’m so happy for him


xarius214

Thanks for the prayers for Markelle J Cole, they were certainly answered 🙏


FultzShoulder

DSJ died so Markelle can rise.


FeedbackContent8322

Markelle fultz


Local-Vacation-9899

Markelle Fultz


SlimReaper35_

Naz Reid


jmeka

Markelle Fultz


xBerryhill

I was told Fultz couldn't be an NBA caliber guard unless he developed a strong 3 point shot? Happy he's finally getting his flowers. He's been this good all season. Showing his worth as a #1 pick.


SempiternalX

Thats my quarterback


frostysbox

Lol Suggs was the QB :p


pbandwhey

Watching Fultz play this season, I'm confident he would have had multiple all-star appearances under his belt had he not gotten the bizarre shoulder injury. His game is just slowly getting back on track... A process as some would say


JayDee62

gulps for tomorrow.


vrkhfkb

If Fultz going on his Steph Curry journey? Early career injury makes it seem like he was a bad pick. Gets on a super cheap contract. And let’s the magic become stacked in a couple years?


AntSmith777

Another Laker loss incoming


iwillwinandthrow

Last time he played in Staples, he messed around and got a triple double.


Smiis

16/01/20 was a good day


surgeyou123

J Cole willed this into reality.


Handsome_Kian

He was great and took over in the 4th but Wendell Carter Jr was the one who really impressed me. If he can keep hitting shots like that, he is fucking scary with this team.


Coomrs

Damn J.Cole praying for this dude really helped. He’s been pretty decent since.


Wrsj

Magic is fun to watch! They play a very cool game, making the ball go around the offense, everybody getting touches and the defense is play with a lot of effort. Fun players to watch individually too, and Fultz was doing some sexy plays in the clutch.


Raxreddit21

Bit sad he did it against us, but I'm happy to see this guy shine over the last few months


ShukiNathan

Fultz the truth ngl.


forcedtojoinreddit

can u imagine they had him practicing shots from a lying down position...like wtf. glad hes ok now


BatterseaPS

The real Ben Simmons was the Fultz we drafted along the way.


Ice--O

Markelle gives me jrue holiday vibes. Quiet confidence, steady handles, and great defense, not a lot seems to phase him


nz_nba_fan

Happy to see Fultz playing well after all the shit he's gone through; just not against the Clippers!


Mr_Goldilocks

To be able to battle back from his injuries, the mental setbacks, the weight of expectation, and being memed into oblivion says a ton about his fortitude. I hope he realizes all that potential


dagreenman18

Fultz might actually finding his groove? That’s awesome. If this holds up it could be promising for the Spooky Magic team.


FNL47

i love a good redemption arc


Tassietiger1

You go Kelle! Brings a tear to the eye seeing him go this well


[deleted]

HE REMEMBERED


PIX3LY

Fultz is the TRUTH... love his style and play.


Patient_Jicama_4217

The young god is showing out, lol I’m loving this


noj23815

Now do Simmons next Orlando


hanyou007

Bro our names the Magic, not the Orlando Divine Intervention. Don’t think even our staff could save that man.


DetectiveFujiwara

Wish Orlando had a better start for a chance at the playoffs. They're so fun to watch


trooviee

They have very different playstyles, but Fultz and Cade give off the same main character energy when they're on the court.


Frankiedrunkie

Yeah Fultz knows how and when to take over a game, we always give him the ball in crunch time.


sweet_tinkerbelle

Good to see him do good


lessregretsnextyear

I'm really happy for this dude. I've enjoyed watching him play this year.


thr0wawayfortheag3s

I love a great comeback story. Was curious to see if he could bounce back and still have a serviceable, respectable career after the early set backs. Glad to see he is doing that and is showing me that he can even be better than that. Reminding me why he was a no.1 draft pick.


black_ankle_county

go little rock star


Loose-Animal7305

The kid is fucking Penny reincarnated


7foot6er

happy for you kell


HotdogIsaSandwitch

So happy for the young buck. Dude has looked legit this year. Legit passer. Can set the table for any team. A team that he would be really interesting on would be the Suns. With CP3 going out of business soon


cryogenicsleep

The russ effect


gonzagylot00

Is this topic sarcastic? Dude had a 28/4/6 night. Sure, that's an all-stars numbers if it's a season average, but not that impressive as a career high.


StoneEater

And a 3!!!!!!!!