(Alex Menendez / Getty Images)
By Ian Firstenberg
(ORLANDO) Orlando Magic point guard Markelle Fultz will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered during Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to an update from the team.
Fultz went down shortly after the start of the game as he drove to the hoop. He has periodically battled injuries since being taken number one overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 Draft.
The 22-year-old only played 14 games as a rookie with modest averages across the board due, in part, to a shoulder injury that hampered his shooting.
After playing only 19 games in his second season, his agent said Fultz would not play until seeing a specialist.
Fultz reportedly "lost the ability to carry out and follow through on long jump shots, and there has been internal and external debate about how much of this perplexing circumstance is physical versus mental," according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
In a bit of a rebound, last season Fultz upped his averages across the board. He averaged 12.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals while helping Orlando reach the playoffs.
Through seven games this season, Fultz again upped his averages with 14.3 points, 6.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per night.