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2017 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Who is Jonathan Isaac?

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 14, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye (32) fight for a rebound in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles 96-83 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye (32) fight for a rebound in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles 96-83 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bad

Jonathan Isaac had several of those flashes of being really good — a 23-point, 10-rebound game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish or a 21-point game against the NC State Wolfpack. He will drive to the middle of the lane and pull-up for a jumper or drain an open 3-pointer and make it all look so smooth. There is a lot to believe in.

And, yet, there were plenty of moments when it did not all come together. Or, maybe worse, Isaac did not assert himself to make it come together.

The situation at Florida State was an odd one. He was playing with veteran scorers who dominated the ball like Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Isaac’s usage rate was just 20.3 percent. Considering Isaac was the second-leading scorer on the team, it did not feel like he was giving the Seminoles the aggressiveness they needed.

There are a few reasons. Florida State fans will say coach Leonard Hamilton held Isaac back some and did not play him enough — Isaac played 26.2 minutes per game — or created an offense that favored Bacon and his guards over Isaac. It did not seem like an ideal situation.

And, in fairness, it is tough for freshmen to assert themselves on veteran-filled teams. They are freshmen after all.

Florida State Seminoles Basketball
Florida State Seminoles Basketball /

Florida State Seminoles Basketball

But all the other talented freshman in the conference found a way to stand out. Jayson Tatum and Dennis Smith battled for ACC Freshman of the Year over Isaac. On-court production has to count for something.

And for every great scoring game Isaac had, he had a lot of clunkers — 11 games with fewer than 10 points including a two-point effort against the Miami Hurricanes and a five-point clunker in the ACC Tournament against Notre Dame.

There were games where Isaac was invisible on offense. He floated around the perimeter unable to get involved in the game. His poor scoring games were often enough to raise some concern. And his 3-point shot is encouraging, but still not up to par. He shot 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.

The rebounding and defense will be there. In that ACC Tournament game, Isaac grabbed 15 rebounds. But his offense still needs a lot of work. And his approach and willingness to take over is something he will have to develop over time.