Magic's Aaron Gordon: 'Sleeper' Markelle Fultz Is a 'Monster' If He Wakes Up

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon called teammate Markelle Fultz a "sleeper" in a SiriusXM Satellite Radio interview on Tuesday (h/t Ballislife.com):

"Markelle is a sleeper. If he wakes up ... he's a monster," Gordon said.

"... 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 has endured a tough start to his NBA career after the Philadelphia 76ers drafted him first overall in 2017. Injuries kept him sidelined for all but 33 regular-season games over his two NBA seasons, and the 76ers sent him to the Magic prior to the 2019 trade deadline.

Fultz sat out the remainder of 2018-19 with Orlando as he continued to recover from thoracic outlet syndrome.

Fultz was a highly touted prospect out of the University of Washington entering the 2017 draft after posting 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds during his lone season in Seattle. He was also efficient, knocking down 47.6 percent of his field-goal attempts and 41.3 percent of his three-point attempts.

However, Fultz endured significant shooting woes in the pros as he worked his way through shoulder injuries. In addition to thoracic outlet syndrome, the guard had a scapular muscle imbalance during his rookie year.

Unfortunately, Fultz's ailments aren't behind him yet, although Magic head coach Steve Clifford offered an encouraging update on SiriusXM Radio on July 15:

If nothing else, Fultz seems to be looking forward to his fresh start in Orlando.

"I think the biggest thing we talked about what doing thing the right way," Fultz said at his introductory press conference in February, per Jason Owens of Yahoo Sports.

"Just building me up both as a man and on the court. I think that's music to my ears, really just. Two things I really want to do is be the best player I can be and be the best young man I can be."

If Fultz's rehabilitation process continues to trend upward, he has a chance to develop into the sleeper that Gordon referenced.