Jonathan Isaac has a promising career ahead of him. His rookie year may have its ups and downs, but Isaac should set some clear goals for his first year.
After being picked number six overall in this year’s highly touted draft class, a good summer league showing and an opportunity to be put in good situations, one would think Jonathan Issac’s goals for his rookie year should be high and lofty.
Isaac, in his short lived college career, averaged 12.0 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. He followed that up with a solid 10.3 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game averages in three Summer League games.
With good performances like that out of the rookie, it is not out of the question.
In fact, with all of the competition from his teammates and peers of this talented draft class, it will be important for Isaac to set the bar high early on to lead to success now and into the future.
It might be good for him to start his list with some certainly attainable goals that not only make him better but will help the Orlando Magic as they look to improve this year and into the future.
After showing a strong defensive presence, amazing rebounding and put back ability and a sweet jumper and step back shot during the three Summer League games he appeared in, he has all the right tools to accomplish a lot.
And the sky is the limit.
The Magic may be prepared to bring Isaac along slowly, but there are still some goals for Isaac to achieve in his rookie year.
Get bigger and improve aggressiveness
It is no secret one of Jonathan Isaac’s biggest weaknesses coming out of college into the draft was his size. Weighing in right now at a mere 210 pounds, he is rail thin by NBA standards.
With his lankiness, it might be easier for defenders who are bigger to just move him out of the way or push him out of the paint when it comes to rebounds.
The biggest focus for Isaac and for the Magic going into training camp and before the start of the season will be to hit the weight room, improve his diet and increase his strength and size tremendously. Isaac seemed to recognize that too before the end of Summer League.
With a bigger Isaac, he stands a chance battling inside for rebounds, holding his own on defense, and attacking the basket. It is essential to his development.
He averaged 8.0 rebounds per game during Summer League. And he grabbed some impressively athletic rebounds in space. But there were plenty of times where he got outmuscled for position or could not completely box out his man.
With his height and athleticism, that number could increase even more with a little more bulk. He still projects as a good rebounder.
The added strength should also help Isaac attack the basket more effectively.
Many draft experts felt one of Isaac’s weaknesses out of college was that he did not attack the basket enough or show enough aggressiveness with the ball.
If Isaac increases his size, it might help his confidence in attacking the basket more. And with his size, athleticism and the possibility of Aaron Gordon, Jonathon Simmons, Terrence Ross or others being on the other side of the basket, that could be a nightmare situation for opposing teams.
While some of his usage cannot entirely be contributed to Isaac, as the Florida State Seminoles were composed of many upperclassmen who demanded the ball, he has shown some more assertiveness on the offensive end with the ball in his hand could help his game and the Magic offense.
Isaac showed a few glimmers of attacking the basket, going Isolation with the ball in his hands, and nailing a few step back shots during summer league before being sidelined with the hip injury. If he can improve on this his game will increase.
Making the starting lineup
Whether it happens right out of training camp, during preseason or sometime in the regular season, one of Isaac’s goals for his first year should be to crack the starting lineup at some point in the year. He will get a spot start at some point because of an injury, but Isaac should set as a goal to be a regular starter at some point in the 2018 season.
It is a goal that is definitely a possibility.
With the number of players on this roster who can play any of the wing positions, Isaac will have his work cut out for him to play his way into the starting five.
But it is not impossible.
With Isaac’s versatility and his abilities, he has a wide range of positions he could play on this team. That will make him a valuable tool for the team in a number of ways.
At small forward he will likely have to battle Terrence Ross or Jonathon Simmons for a starting spot. In order to be at the top of that list, he will need to be a solid scorer and lockdown defender.
He absolutely showed in Summer League, he can be the lockdown defender the Magic need.
But he will need to develop a consistent mid range and 3-point shot and attack the basket aggressively to get the sheer point amount needed to convince Frank Vogel to start him.
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At power forward, he will need to use his length and athleticism to his advantage.
As the 4 spot increasingly moves to a stretch-4 and power forwards get better shots and more athletic, Isaac will need his quickness and agility. With his length, he can disrupt most shots. Being a former guard, he has the agility and quickness to stay in front of power forwards on defense and drive past them on the offensive end.
If Isaac can somehow make his way onto the starting lineup this year, that could mean a lot for Isaac and the Magic going forward.
With the number of players all in the same area surely at least one of them will be shipped off or cut before the end of the season meaning every player on the team this year will be fighting for a job and playing time.
Something we have not seen on this team for a while.
If Isaac can ascend to the starting lineup, it will mean his game will be blossoming that much more quickly than other players we have seen (i.e. Mario Hezonja) and going against Jonathon Simmons, Terrence Ross and Aaron Gordon could mean he is well on his way to perennial star status.
Play in the Rising Stars Game
This one should be very attainable for Isaac as long as he has a solid first half of the year, especially as the number six pick in the draft.
By Jonathan Isaac making the Rising Stars Game, it definitely makes a case he has the potential to be one of best players in this stacked draft class. And usually, players need the stats in the first half of the year to back it up as well.
Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja played in this game in its current format, so it is not hard to imagine Jonathan Isaac will end up playing in this game.
But just being in the Rising Stars game is just part of the equation.
Even though making the game would be a significant accomplishment itself given all the rookie talent available this year who could potentially end up playing in this game, having a solid performance in the game would be HUGE for Isaac. And huge for the Magic to get some national notoriety.
With the likes of Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Jayson Tatum and others likely playing in this game too, if Jonathan Isaac can have a big performance and put up solid numbers it will help him.
If Isaac shows up with solid play, flashy highlights and is mentioned a ton, it will be a big plus for him to put him on the national or global map.
By Isaac being mentioned on a national scale, the talks of him being one of the best rookies this year skyrocket up. And that is big news.
Not only for himself giving him solid confidence that he can compete with others in his draft class and shine, and not just for the Magic showing that he was the right pick for them in this draft class littered with talent, but also for his other goals.
Rookie of the Year/All Rookie Team
It is still very very early to start boldly predicting anyone to win Rookie of the Year honors this year, especially with a stacked draft class. Jonathan Isaac’s odds to win Rookie of the Year are long. Especially against the likes of Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr., Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum and Josh Jackson. They all may be the same age, but they are further along developmentally than Isaac. Isaac is still very raw. He is the project of the bunch.
But the award is something Isaac should set his sights for and go after.
Plenty of commentators will talk about the other players in the draft class — as we have already seen during the Las Vegas Summer League — as the cream of the rookie crop. That does not mean Isaac will not have a chance to make his case and put his name right up there with the others.
The key to this will be starting strong out of the gate for the Magic and helping improve the Magic’s record during the year while putting up impressive individual numbers. This is something the Magic will also be looking for along with improved play from virtually the whole team, especially Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton while on their way to finally ending the playoff drought in a weaker Eastern Conference this year.
Jonathan Isaac will have a chance to show the Magic if he was a good draft choice and the NBA what he has to offer, it will be up to him this year to show everyone if he is ready to rise to the challenge.
Next: Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: End of the Offseason
If he can accomplish these goals, he will have a successful rookie year and start his career on the right foot.