2020 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Jonathan Isaac
By Seth Arora
The Magic’s Crowded Frontcourt
When you read about Jonathan Isaac and hear what he has to say, it is easy to like him. He has an affable demeanor that is completely disarming. It is easy to root hard for a guy who works as hard as he does and has already overcome a number of setbacks to achieve some success in the NBA.
Still, Isaac has a big potential roadblock in front of him.
He is part of a young, crowded frontcourt in Orlando. He will compete with Aaron Gordon, Mohamed Bamba, Nikola Vucevic, Al-Farouq Aminu, and, later, Chuma Okeke for minutes and opportunities.
Many currently consider the Magic’s “core” to include Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Vucevic. But the questions still remain: who can play together, and where does Isaac fit in?
Orlando Magic
Last season, the Magic’s starting five played more minutes together than almost any other five-man combination in the NBA, but ended the season with a net rating of just 2.4. Closer examination reveals a sobering fact for Magic fans: in terms of the highest net ratings, no other lineups including both Isaac and Gordon did any better.
Even factoring in the team’s and Isaac’s success later in the year, this remains true.
While the starting lineup’s net rating improved to +3.1 points per 100 possessions, sorting the data by descending net rating reveals the names “J. Isaac” and “A. Gordon” seemingly avoiding each other like forlorn teenagers in a fight.
Instead, the data suggest Isaac worked better alongside Wesley Iwundu or Terrence Ross as substitutes for Aaron Gordon. With both big men being major cogs of the Magic’s future, this is a problem.
Still, that is not to say that last year’s reality will and must hold true in 2020. Other factors could have been at play in making the players, at least on paper, appear incompatible.
The players’ internal improvement, coupled with the additions of Markelle Fultz or Al-Farouq Aminu, may make all of this data irrelevant.
Regardless, it is not Isaac’s job to resolve the team’s lineup issues. His maturity as a player and on-court productivity improvements would make it simply impossible to keep him on the bench.
Whether the player he molds himself into is one that can successfully share the court with any combination of his fellow frontcourt players remains to be seen.