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2018-19 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Isaiah Briscoe

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 21: Isaiah Briscoe #13 of the Orlando Magic shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks on January 21, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 21: Isaiah Briscoe #13 of the Orlando Magic shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks on January 21, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Isaiah Briscoe, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets
ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 18: Isaiah Briscoe #13 of the Orlando Magic drives to the basket while being defended by D’Angelo Russell #1 of the Brooklyn Nets during the game at the Amway Center on January 18, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. The Nets defeated the Magic 117 to 115. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

The Good and the Bad

Per Game Table
G MP FG% 3P% eFG% FT% TRB AST STL TOV PTS
39 14.3 .399 .324 .438 .577 1.9 2.2 0.3 0.8 3.5

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/16/2019.

It took Isaiah Briscoe a while to get into the rotation. His playing time was hard to find and when he did get playing time, he seemed a bit overwhelmed with the speed of the NBA. He had a learning curve as a first-year NBA player. There was a little bit of fear of turning to him.

But it was clear too that Orlando needed to make a change at point guard. Jerian Grant was struggling to get the bench unit going and the team was floundering because of it. The starters simply were not enough to carry the team and the bench was giving away leads and a lot of wins.

The Magic turned to Briscoe to try to turn the tide. It was hard to argue with the results.

His raw numbers, seen above, are not incredibly impressive. He averaged 3.5 points per game and shot just 39.9 percent from the floor, and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc. He was not even a great passer with 2.2 assists per game and 5.6 assists per 36 minutes.

But Briscoe, along with other rotation changes to support it, helped transform the bench unit and make it viable.

Related Story. 2019 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Isaiah Briscoe. light

The Magic for the season had a +1.3 net rating with Briscoe on the floor including a superb 100.6 defensive rating. He was willing to mix things up physically, using his fouls liberally on defense and acting as a wrecking ball driving into the paint and causing the defense to collapse.

More importantly, the team had a 100.7 pace with Briscoe on the floor, an increase from the 98.7 the Magic averaged for the season. That was really the big thing the Magic wanted from him.

Briscoe needed time to adjust. He was still in his first year in the NBA, after all. And he was starting to find a rhythm as a shooter and scorer. The Magic were making a run and getting better with Briscoe on the floor.

But his style was a bit reckless at times. He dealt with a few injuries and knocks and it finally knocked him out. He tore his meniscus and was out for the rest of the season. The Magic had to cut him to make Michael Carter-Williams playoff eligible.

And a season that allowed Briscoe to realize his NBA dream was left with more questions about his future.