What we learned from Orlando Magic Madness 2020

Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic — WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 01: Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 1, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Jonathan Isaac is the Magic’s future

I was personally really interested to see where the current Orlando Magic players would place in the run of this tournament. I knew the very best players would struggle in this tournament. They are immensely unpopular among Magic twitter — for both fair and unfair reasons.

Where Aaron Gordon would land was interesting because projecting him is as much about potential as his present.

I took some flack for seeding Jonathan Isaac as a 14-seed in the tournament. That was an acknowledgment of what Isaac has always done with the team in his first two and a half seasons. It was not a statement about his future and what he can become.

Mock trade proposal has P.J. Washington situation ending for Hornets

Swarm and Sting

Grading a proposed Magic trade with the Spurs for Doug McDermott Air Alamo

Grade the trade: Wizards buy low on a potential defensive star in a proposed deal Wiz of Awes

Washington Wizards: 3 buy-low candidates to target this offseason Wiz of Awes

4 radioactive free agents the Cavaliers could sign at a discount King James Gospel

Bleacher Report misses mark with nonsensical Dallas Mavericks trade ideas The Smoking Cuban

By simply asking “Who ya got?” in the prompt, people certainly took his future into consideration.

Jonathan Isaac was the lone double-digit seed to advance in the tournament. He defeated Nikola Vucevic in the first round (63.5-36.5) and then defeated Aaron Gordon (54.5-45.5) in the second round before losing to Jameer Nelson — and order was restored.

Isaac is immensely popular. That much is abundantly clear. To me, this was the fans making the statement that Isaac is the guy they believe is the franchise’s future star.

To be sure, Isaac is going to be a very good player. I believe Isaac is the lone player on the roster who is elite at something. He is the one player who has an elite-level skill. That is his defense and that seems like it can only continue to grow as he understands the pro game more.

His offensive ceiling is a bit more unclear. But Isaac is growing there too. Before his knee injury this year, he was averaging 12.0 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game while his effective field goal percentage peaked over 50-percent for the first time in his career.

Isaac’s growth was slow. Injuries have slowed him down too. But he is still extremely promising and only getting better.

My stance is that this was meant to be a temperature in the water today. And Isaac still has a long way to go. He is all potential.

But what I think the fans proved throughout this process is everyone has very high expectations for Isaac already.