NBA 25 Under 25: Maturity is big missing piece for Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac

Jonathan Isaac has flown under the radar, intriguing just enough nationally. Physical maturity is the biggest missing piece between Isaac and a breakout.

Jonathan Isaac still feels like a mystery.

Nobody seems to have a good sense of what his potential is or what kind of player he can be. In the national perspective, he is a slow developer and so can get forgotten pretty quickly. Especially considering several players in his draft class developed so quickly and are already making impacts.

The Orlando Magic have always taken a patient approach with their young players — expect the same for Mohamed Bamba’s second year and Markelle Fultz now that he is back in the fold — does not exactly engender headlines. Neither does being in Orlando, a relatively obscure corner of the NBA map.

Jonathan Isaac has essentially been a starter for two years now. Even in his injury-filled rookie year, he clearly made a positive impact on the floor just on his raw athleticism and length alone. Last year, he grabbed hold of the starting spot in the small forward with a more refined defensive effort and an improving offensive game.

Isaac finished last year averaging 9.6 points per game on a 49.9 percent effective field goal percentage. As the Magic made their run to the playoffs after Jan. 31, Isaac averaged 11.8 points per game and shot 53.1 percent effective field goal percentage. Included in that were some stellar defensive plays.

The Magic put a lot of trust in Isaac. And there is still very clearly a lot of excitement for his development and future growth.

Of course, those numbers are not about to grab the national attention. He was solid and fit into his role. With a 16.3 percent usage rate, Isaac was not exactly involved in the offense. The team was not running a ton of plays for him. He scored mostly on spot-up 3-point attempts, one-dribble pull-ups and in transition.

His role offensively was very simple. Defensively, he was solid and could use his length and athleticism to make up for any mistakes he made. Coaches love that Isaac is ahead defensively, a rarity among young players.

But Isaac is still a bundle of potential.

It was no surprise then that The Step Back left Isaac off its list of the Top 25 players under 25 years old. It is quite amazing how loaded this list is. And Isaac is still seeking his place in it.

Isaac was among the first group of players outside the top-25. As Jonathan Macri wrote about the snubs, Isaac is the ideal form for the modern power forward in the league. And it is really only his slow development that is keeping him from this list:

"After an injury-plagued rookie year, Isaac showed all the makings of becoming a dynamic two-way force last season. The only real reason that makes any sense is that plenty of young players show flashes early in their careers. Even when they seem like tireless workers and high-character guys — two boxes Isaac certainly checks — sometimes they just can’t put it all together. Maybe this is one of those times."

And this gets to the heart of the question for Isaac. Nobody is quite sure what his final form looks like or just how much more he can contribute. This year might begin to answer those questions.

The Magic certainly are expecting big things from him, but they do not need big things from him immediately. His role reflects taht.

Orlando has better offensive options in the similarly versatile Aaron Gordon and veterans Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier. The Magic use Isaac sometimes as a roamer defensively, but usually they entrust the best perimeter players defensively to Aaron Gordon or Evan Fournier.

Isaac’s biggest weakness is still his physical immaturity. He played last year at 210 pounds. While that was a step up physically and he was noticeably stronger and more resilient, it still was not enough. It is hard to see Isaac realizing his full defensive potential until he gets stronger.

And he might well be there. Isaac has reportedly put on 25 pounds of muscle since the end of last season, as he told reporters before the U.S. Basketball training camp. That should enable him to be a stronger wall defensively and perhaps push to get some minutes guarding the better players as he and Gordon unleash a defensive torrent on opposing wings.

Orlando is hoping there is no weak link when it comes to the playoffs especially — that is where Jonathan Isaac’s lack of physical maturity really played up as Pascal Siakam was able to get the better of him despite consistent challenges.

He has also reportedly spent a lot of time too improving his 3-point shot. That would certainly improve his scoring prospects. And coach Steve Clifford has previously said he would like to get Jonathan Isaac more touches and involved in the offense.

What he does with those and how he plays at the higher weight will determine a lot of his offensive potential.

Isaac was good as a one-dribble pull-up shooter, able to attack close-out defenders at the 3-point line. But teams are still more likely to let him shoot 3-pointers. Unlocking his 3-point shot will open everything else in his game. From there, he can improve as an isolation player and add more elements to his offensive game.

While there has certainly been plenty of ink about many of the other players, it is easy to forget about Isaac and how important his development is to this team. Not least of which is figuring out if Gordon and Isaac are a workable duo — the evidence is still mixed, but Isaac’s relatively nascent development makes it hard to draw any conclusions.

Isaac very well could be due for a breakout year. It seems like he is putting a lot of those pieces together and is about reveal a clearer form.

Orlando Magic

Everyone wanted to compare Isaac’s potential development to that of Siakam, last year’s Most Improved Player Award. Of course, Isaac is 21 (he will turn 22 next week). Siakam won the award last year in his third year at 24 years old.

That should give a better sense of how young Isaac is and how much he can still grow and develop. The Magic have been right to bring him along slowly. They have put him in roles and positions that have fit his talent at the time. They have all been relatively small.

Now that Isaac has a full healthy year under his belt along with a healthy summer to grow and develop, this might be the first time Isaac gets a chance to shine. His growth last year skill-wise and confidence-wise were vital to the Magic’s turnaround.

The Magic are not likely expecting him to make the leap to a 15-point-per-game scorer. He may still hover around 12-14 points per game. A few more shot attempts and better efficiency should lead to an increase in those raw numbers.

What Orlando likely expects more is that he makes outside shots, runs the floor in transition and defends at a high level. Doing all that more efficiently and effectively — with a few games where he busts out — will lead to a successful season.

With more physical maturity and confidence, Isaac could be due for a breakout. He may finally find his place among the best young players in the league.