Markelle Fultz Had 'Amazing'Return to Face 76ers in Philly
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For the first time in his career, Markelle Fultz faced the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. Before he donned an Orlando Magic uniform, Fultz was a first-overall pick for the Sixers who was expected to be one of the franchise’s most prominent players.
Unfortunately, Fultz’s time with the Sixers did not go as planned. And by his sophomore season in the NBA, Fultz went from being a starter to getting traded. Fultz played a total of 33 games with the Sixers, drawing 15 starts.
During that time, the former Washington standout averaged eight points, three rebounds, and three assists while knocking down 41 percent of his shots.
While Fultz showed promise at times during his short-lived run with the Sixers, his stint in Philadelphia was mostly a disappointment as it ended with an early February trade in 2019.
Fultz wouldn’t make his Magic debut until the following season due to an injury. In 2019-2020, he appeared in a career-high of 72 games. Unfortunately, his second and third seasons with the Magic ended prematurely due to the young guard suffering major injuries.
Therefore, Fultz’s return to Philly was put on hold for the last two years. On Monday night, the young veteran finally took the floor at the Wells Fargo Center as he faced his former team away from home for the first time.
After the game, Fultz revealed he was happy to finally play at the Wells Fargo Center once again.
“[It was] amazing, man,” said Fultz. “It was so fun.”
It was unclear how Fultz’s return would be received by Sixers fans. On the one hand, he had a lot of support from the fan base, even though his time in Philly did not go as desired. On the other hand, coming up way short of expectations in Philly left many fans unable to hold back their frustration with the way everything transpired.
When Fultz was announced as a starter for the Magic on Monday night, the boobirds were singing for the most part. Was Fultz surprised?
“Not really,” said the young veteran. “I always feel like I had love here. You know, Philly is always gonna go against the opposite team. I kind of had a feeling that was gonna happen too. Again, it’s very exciting, whether you’re on this team or the opposing team. Being here just embracing the fans, embracing the city, it’s a very unique situation. Again, I was just moreso taking it all in. For me, whether they were happy or not, just taking it as a game and just enjoying it.”
Fultz and the Magic made the most out of the tough crowd in South Philly on Monday. While they got off to a slower start than desired, trailing by as many as 21 points, Orlando found success in the second half and shifted the momentum of the matchup.
“Obviously, the best thing about [my return] is getting the win,” Fultz continued. “Just the energy of being out there, going against the crowd, having fun. I think that was the best thing, you know? I’m very excited. I’m glad I got it over with now, and I’m getting ready for the next one. I’m just glad we got the dub, for sure.”
The Magic outscored the Sixers 67-47 in the second half. As a result, their double-digit deficit turned into a double-digit victory. On a personal note, Fultz finished the game with 12 points in 32 minutes. While it wasn’t his best shooting night, going 4-14 from the field, Fultz snagged himself a double-double by producing ten assists.
The Magic and the Sixers will meet for the fourth and final time this year on Wednesday night.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
