2022 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Jonathan Isaac’s return is central story of team

It has been roughly one year and two months since Jonathan Isaac had surgery to repair his left ACL and meniscus on Aug. 7, 2020.

We have seen Isaac in the weight room working on his body, and he has noticeably put on additional weight. But nobody outside the Amway Center has seen video of him actually playing basketball until recently in training camp. And even then it was just simple shooting drills after practice.

Isaac has not been cleared for contact as training camp begins. And so hope and expectations the Magic would have Isaac available to start the season have quickly been dashed. Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports Isaac has already been ruled out for the team’s season opener.

At this point, it is unclear when Isaac will return, when he will be cleared for contact or what the timetable is for his return. The Orlando Magic are notoriously quiet when it comes to discussing when players will actually return.

The Orlando Magic are still banking a lot on Jonathan Isaac. His return to the court is one of the most important storylines of the season.

Isaac’s return will be among the most important storylines of the Magic’s season. As Jeff Weltman said during media day, reintegrating injured players in Jonatan Isaac and Markelle Fultz is one of the most important things the Magic will do this season.

It still remains the great unknown of the entire season.

The Magic’s rehab process usually goes under the radar. So a lot is up in the air about Isaac’s progress. All anyone would say is that he is on track for a full recovery.

"“Recovery has been great,” Isaac said at media day. “I’ve been taking it day-by-day, I’ve been grinding. I’m seeing great progress, not just with my knee, but just with my game overall, with my weight, with weightlifting and all of that. So, I’m pleased, I’m making strides and I can’t wait to be back.”"

It has been so long since Isaac was on the floor, it is easy to forget the progression he was on.

Isaac has steadily improved every year of his young NBA career. As a rookie, he averaged 5.6 points per game while being limited with an ankle injury. He upped his scoring to 9.6 per game in 2019 and then 11.9 per game in his third season. There is hope he will continue his growth into the 2022 season.

That does not even get into his defensive impact. The Magic were better defensively with Isaac on the floor in each of the three seasons he has played. In 2020, Isaac was averaging 1.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game and the team had a 105.7 defensive rating with him on the floor — it was 109.2 for the entire season and 106.3 through Jan. 1 when Isaac suffered his first injury.

More than anything else, the Magic are eager to see Isaac back on the court just running around and making an impact. Orlando certainly wants him for his defensive impact and to fit the team’s growing defensive identity.

But it will not be easy for Isaac.

He will have to regain confidence in that knee and that may take a while. He has been seen wearing a heavy knee brace at camp, but that did not seem to affect his game too much when he came back from a knee bruise in the 2020 NBA bubble.

Really at this point, it is hope.

There is still plenty of hope within the heartbreak that has become Isaac’s career.

Isaac was coming off one his better offensive games in the bubble against the Brooklyn Nets before he tore his left ACL and meniscus against the Sacramento Kings. In 16 minutes against the Nets, he scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and went 2-for-2 from three-point land. And this was after a nearly eight-month absence.

It was apparent that Isaac was gaining confidence offensively. So it was devastating to see him go down in such a fashion against the Kings.

Weltman said during media day that he believes both Isaac and Fultz have improved in their time away from the court. The hope would be that Isaac returns and is hitting threes consistently as he appeared to be when he returned in the bubble.

Isaac is a career 33.0-percent 3-point shooter and hit on 34.0-percent of his threes in the 2020 season on 2.8 attempts per game. There is still room for massive expansion in his offensive game.

Before the injury, defense was Isaac’s calling card with his impressive lateral quickness, impeccable timing on contesting shots and his great length. He will have to regain that too. And that is obviously the biggest key to his potential success.

It will be interesting to see how the knee injury affects Isaac’s lateral quickness and defensive ability. Or how quickly he is able to regain that.

A glaring hole in Isaac’s game has always been shooting and he has had plenty of time to work on this flaw. Without being able to go full contact, he has had time to work on his shooting mechanics and consistency with his jumper. Also, you cannot underestimate the mental reps he has gotten being around the team and watching film.

The Magic are taking it slow with his recovery but when he does play, he will have plenty opportunity to produce on a young Magic team. Orlando does not currently have a proven power forward on the roster, and Isaac would step right in and provide defense and offensive versatility.

At the end of the season, Isaac’s return is one of the key storylines for the season. The Magic invested a four-year extension in him — he will be the team’s highest-paid player entering next season — and they still have high hopes for him despite the injury.

The question is just what Isaac can give them this year. And when he can.