1. Jonathan Isaac is the most impactful player on the team
Jonathan Isaac is not going to be the Orlando Magic’s leading scorer. He is not going to get the ball a ton to work off the dribble. Either the team is not ready to trust him with such responsibility or that just is not the role the Magic have in mind for him with the roster as constructed.
Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon will still take the bulk of the scoring. Jonathan Isaac will have to work a bit more on the fringes, hitting open jumpers, running in transition and cutting to the basket. This is Isaac’s role on offense — and his 16.8 percent usage rate is only slightly up from last year.
But watching games, it is clear Isaac is already perhaps the best player on the Magic. Best might be the wrong word since his offensive game still has a lot of development to go through.
Isaac is the most impactful player on the team. His presence is everywhere. And suddenly, he is the reason the Magic could have an elite defense.
Through the first 10 games, Isaac is second in the league in blocks with 3.0 per game. The last time a perimeter player led the league in blocks was Andrei Kirilenko in 2005. Isaac is in some rare defensive air, but it is early.
He has league-leading 6.1 defensive box plus-minus, a product of his leading the league in “stocks” (steals and blocks). That is just a sign of his overall defensive versatility. The Magic have used him as a primary defender — helping force seven turnovers against Giannis Antetokounmpo, adding a few blocks into that game for good measure — and they have used him as a roamer to defend the rim.
Both have worked. The Magic have a 101.9 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor (slightly above the team’s average). But the team is an over +4.3 net rating with Isaac on the floor, the best mark on the team among rotation players.
The most promising and exciting thing about this early season has been Isaac’s overall activity and energy. He seems to give the Magic an extremely bright future no matter what else happens this season.