Orlando Magic Media Day: Jonathan Isaac grew — in height, in confidence and on the court

A Tall Order

The finish to the season brought plenty of optimism about Jonathan Isaac’s development in what could very well be his first fully healthy summer.

He played at Team USA’s training camp as part of the Select Team and had a good showing in their scrimmage. He seemed more willing to take guys off the dribble. When he clearly looked comfortable, he was one of the best players on the Select Team.

It took time to get there.

From there reports came out of just how much Isaac has worked on his body, reportedly adding 20-25 pounds in the weight room. That was a must for the slender forward who often could get moved and bumped around.

Isaac said he had never eaten so much as the tried to maintain a heavier playing weight while keeping his speed and nimbleness. As Zach Lowe of ESPN noted, that meant eating five or six meals per day for the young forward to get to 235 pounds (he was listed at 210 last year).

Orlando Magic

That would eventually lead to his skill work where Isaac understood he would have to become a better shooter to get defenses to cover him and open driving lanes for him.

In the playoffs, the Toronto Raptors were able to body him and push him out of the way, dulling his defensive prowess. Then they ignored him on the 3-point line where he failed to punish them, shooting 4 for 20 on 3-pointers in the five-game series.

"“I think starting with my body, the way we have been able to focus on it and add muscle and add mass has been great,” Isaac said Monday at Media Day. “I think I’m a more consistent shooter than I was last year. Just maybe being able to pick spots on the floor and feeling more and more comfortable with my game, my teammates and my coach.”"

That is all the work Isaac has put in that he has not yet shown publicly. The foundational work that sets him up for the season.