Orlando Magic's Aaron Gordon says 'sleeper' Markelle Fultz is a 'monster'

Benyam Kidane

Orlando Magic's Aaron Gordon says 'sleeper' Markelle Fultz is a 'monster' image

Markelle Fultz is yet to lace them up for the Orlando Magic, but his teammate Aaron Gordon believes he can have a huge impact for them next season.

"[Fultz] is a sleeper," Gordon said during an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio. "If he wakes up and if he's awake and woken up, he's a monster. A monster. People are sleeping on him. That's what I mean by, 'He's a sleeper.' People are sleeping on him. He's going to be huge for our team.

"... He'd be huge for our team just with that point guard presence along with D.J. [Augustin] and Michael Carter-Williams," Gordon added.

Fultz arrived in Orlando in a Feburary trade for Jonathon Simmons and two draft picks after a disappointing stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. 

The 21-year-old struggled with injuries and a hitch in his jump shot, limiting him to 33 total games over the past two seasons, with the Magic hoping he can take advantage of a fresh start in Orlando. 

"[Fultz's] working hard, he's made great progress," Magic coach Steve Clifford told SiriusXM earlier this month. "You know, right now we don't have a timetable for when he'll be back, but he's really doing a great job."

The Magic finished last season with a 42-40 record, losing to the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, their first appearance in the post-season since 2011-12.

Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.