Jonathan Isaac looked like a potential star… before suffering another major injury.
Markelle Fultz looked like a potential star… before completely losing his shooting stroke.
But the Magic are committing to those players, damages and all.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Jonathan Isaac has agreed to a four-year, $80M extension with the Orlando Magic, his agent Jeff Wechsler tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2020
Markelle Fultz has agreed to a three-year, $50 million extension with Orlando, his agent Raymond Brothers of @RocNationSports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2020
Good for Isaac and Fultz securing life-changing money.
Isaac was on track to earn even more – maybe the max – before tearing his ACL late last season. That will injury will sideline him next season, but maybe the 23-year-old will return to form afterward. He was already an All-Defense-caliber forward, and he showed potential to become more impactful offensively.
Orlando has tried to instill confidence in Fultz, exercising his team option well before necessary after acquiring him from the 76ers last year. This extension ought to make Fultz feel even more comfortable. But Fultz has such a long way to go to become anywhere near a reliable shooter.
Fultz averaged attempting a 3-pointer every 15 minutes and made just 27% of them last season. This preseason, he attempted a 3-pointer every 11 minutes and made 30% of them.
That’s not good enough. For perspective, league average is attempting a 3-point attempt every 7 minutes and making 36% of them.
Fultz has compensated by knifing his way through defenses and scoring inside with an array of twisting moves. He can distribute. He has become more intent on using his size and strength defensively.
But there’s such a limited ceiling for a point guard who doesn’t shoot 3-pointers. It’ll be difficult for Fultz to live up to this deal without major improvement.
That’s ultimately the difference between Fultz’s and Isaac’s extensions. The Magic are hoping Isaac picks up where he left off and Fultz reaches a completely new career trajectory.
