Jonathan Isaac will get to cement his place among best young players

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac has grown quietly so far. In joining the Select Team, he will take his place among the league’s best young players.

The rosters for the NBA All-Star Game’s Rising Stars Challenge came out in January and Jonathan Isaac was not on it.

That was understandable — even to Jonathan Isaac. He missed most of his rookie year with a sprained ankle and was still finding his footing in his second year. Isaac was not putting up crazy numbers and not getting much notice.

Isaac was starting by this time, but his role was more about doing the little things. He was a supporting player who had not quite found his footing yet.

The easy narrative — although Isaac is probably too humble to admit it — was that Isaac took the snub from the Rising Stars Challenge to start his tear that helped propel the Orlando Magic into the playoffs. Isaac started to feel comfortable on the floor and started shooting comfortably.

By the end of the season, Isaac was a defensive trap the Magic sprung on unsuspecting opponents and an opportunistic scorer defenses got hurt for ignoring.

The Magic brought him along slowly and were starting to see him make his mark.

The rest of the basketball world seems to have noticed now too.

Isaac was named to the U.S.A. Basketball Select Team on Thursday and will train with the team that will head to China for the FIBA World Cup in the team’s incubator for future team members.

Magic fans have sought validation for their team from the national media. And this is about all they will get.

Aaron Gordon was reportedly on the shortlist to add to the U.S.A. roster pool and even expressed some public interest should he get invited. But it appears that Gordon is officially off the final list heading to Las Vegas on August 5 for training camp.

Aaron Gordon offered his congratulations to Jonathan Isaac for making the Select Team, an honor Gordon experienced in 2016 in Team U.S.A.’s preparations for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Being part of the Select Team is largely unglamorous. The group is merely there for extra bodies in practice and to fill out the roster for the team’s Blue/White Scrimmage at the end of training camp. It is used to expose new, young  players to the U.S.A. Basketball program and entice them to return for future competitions and roster pools.

Some of the young players shine in that setting.

Victor Oladipo was on the Select Team in 2014 ahead of the World Championships in Spain and had a standout performance in the scrimmage. Oladipo surely would have been included on this year’s World Cup roster if he had not suffered an injury earlier this year. Tobias Harris, then with the Magic, was also on that Select Team and was set to be on this year’s team before backing out.

It is no guarantee that a player will eventually “graduate” to the main roster. It seemed like Gordon was set to make that step as he continued to improve, but either skipped the invite or was never included in Team U.S.A.’s roster plans.

But it is a sign of the hopes Team U.S.A. has in these players. New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was among the original invites to the Select Team (he declined). Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings forward Marvin Bagley and San Antonio Spurs guard Derrick White were also named to the Select Team.

That is a pretty solid group of young players in the league. All have bright futures ahead of them. And at least a few of those guys could figure to be part of Team U.S.A. moving forward. That includes Isaac.

There is no chance Isaac or any of these players make the final roster of 12 that head to China for the World Cup. That is not their purpose.

But it is a sign that Isaac is considered one of the best young American players. Someone the team wants to invest in and watch develop.

Judging by some of the early reports, Isaac has been putting in his work.

He told Josh Robbins of The Athletic that he has put on 25 pounds of muscle this summer:

How he uses and plays at that weight will be a question. But adding strength and muscle was a big part of his offseason development plan. Magic fans will at least get to see him play in an exhibition setting to see for themselves just how far along he is. For whatever that is worth.

But at least now an Orlando player is getting some national notice. And it is a player that figures to be vital to the team’s 2020 hopes.

But Isaac is not talked a lot among great young players. He is 15th among members of the 2017 Draft Class in win shares and 12th in VORP, according to Basketball-Reference. This was a particularly strong draft class and Isaac has had some unforeseen setbacks early in his career.

He is starting a bit behind his peers. That has led some to question the Magic taking him in their quest of instant gratification — especially with Jayson Tatum (third overall) and Donovan Mitchell (13th overall) contribute gaudy numbers to winning teams immediately.

Orlando was always taking a patient tack with Isaac. The team knew he was not ready for the same level of contribution immediately as the more physically developed Tatum or the older Mitchell.

But even in those difficult times, Isaac’s positive impact was clear to see — the Magic were at their best defensively in his rookie year with Isaac on the floor. And last year saw Isaac take some real steps forward as the Magic made their playoff run.

It seems like Isaac is poised to take another big step this season.

He is going to demand some exposure and notice, especially if the Magic remain a playoff team. This will get him at least in the picture as the basketball world turns its eyes to Team U.S.A.’s preparations for the World Cup.

Jonathan Isaac getting exposure to other great players and to Gregg Popovich and his coaching staff’s instruction should help round out his summer workouts before training camp begins in late September.

And set him up for a strong season ahead.