Isaac the DPOY
Do you think @JJudahIsaac has any chance if he keeps getting blocks at this pace and continues to get better overall defensively to get nominated for DPOTY? Or is First or second team all nba more within his reach?
— Eli (@ORL_EGW) December 13, 2019
Whenever anyone asks me why I still feel optimistic about the Orlando Magic even though they are struggling to make measurable progress from last year’s team, I usually turn to Jonathan Isaac.
It is OK to be among the lower seeds in the playoffs so long as there is a path forward and a way for the team to get better. That is why Isaac’s development so far this season has been so promising.
He really looks like he could be an elite player defensively. And the first step to competing for a championship is to have a player who is elite at something.
Everyone is buzzing about his defense around the league. It is easy to see this 21-year-old forward being part of the Defensive Player of the Year picture for a long time to come. But he is probably not there yet.
Swarm and Sting
Isaac is having a fantastic year, averaging a career-high 12.4 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game, 2.6 blocks per game and 1.4 steals per game. While he is not overwhelming anyone with his offense yet, his defense has been at an advanced stage. The Magic can almost use him as a roamer who acts as the team’s rim protector.
Jonathan Isaac is close enough to the league lead in blocks at third in the league that he could become the first wing player to lead the league in blocks since Andrei Kirilenko in 2005. That is the kind of rare company Isaac is flirting with at his age.
According to Basketball-Reference, Isaac has a +4.7 defensive box plus-minus (fourth in the league) and a .117 defensive win shares per 48 minutes. His 1.6 defensive win shares this year place him 12th in the league. The Magic’s 101.8 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor, according to Basketball-Reference, place him 19th in the league.
Whatever defensive metrics we have seem to point toward Isaac make a clear impact on defense.
I do not think Isaac is quite in line to win Defensive Player of the Year this year. I think his individual defense could still use some work — he is a bit twitchy and will overplay some wings especially if he is in the mood to chase blocks, but his length and quickness enable him to recover most of the time even when he is not the most disciplined.
But Isaac, at the very least, is absolutely someone who will be on one of the All-Defensive teams. And he should cement a spot on that team for a long time to come.