Jonathan Isaac ruled OUT for the remainder of the season

Jonathan Isaac has been a very intriguing player on the court since the day he stepped into the NBA. A unique near-7-footer who can move like a guard. He can defend the perimeter and protect the paint with ease. He recovers and blocks shots while making it look effortless.

His basketball IQ on the defensive end is through the roof. The unfortunate part of his career thus far has been more about how much he has had to deal with injuries.

The Orlando Magic though have had to wait for his return. And after nearly two years without seeing the court full-time, that wait will have to go a little longer.

Jonathan Isaac will not play during the 2022 season as the Orlando Magic forward’s recovery continues and the medical staff works through its checklists to bring the forward back to the court.

The Magic announced Tuesday Isaac would miss the remainder of the 2022 season, marking the second full season Isaac has missed since tearing his ACL inside the NBA’s bubble to close the 2020 season in August 2020.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said the team’s medical staff like to have a long ramp-up period before reintroducing players to the court after such long absences and there simply is not enough time to have that with so little time remaining this year.

"“Our fans know Jonathan Isaac,” Weltman said after the Magic’s shootaround Tuesday. “They know him on the court. They know him off the court. They know what he is about and they know how hard of a worker he is and they know how much he wants to impact our team, our community and our franchise. And how much he wants to help his teammates. Obviously, it’s a frustrating process to go through to say we were hoping he could play this season and it turns out it is going to take a little longer than we hoped.”"

Weltman said Isaac had been playing contact in half-court settings for a while now. But the medical staff wants to see a ramp-up period that includes unrestricted activity before clearing him to play. The runway for the rest of the season ran out for him to see the floor.

Isaac added that part of what has slowed his recovery is that he has not been able to build muscle evenly in his knee from his right side to his surgically-repaired left side. That is a general part of the rehab process as players regain strength in their injured knee.

It is certainly a bit odd to see an ACL recovery take this long. The Magic have often cited the fact Isaac has not played full-time basketball since January 2020, when he suffered a lateral corner injury, for their caution.

Both Isaac and Weltman said Isaac did not face any setbacks in his recovery. It is just taking longer for him to hit the benchmarks the sports performance team needs to see. Until then, Isaac is doing the daily work to get better.

Unfortunately, injuries have been the story of Isaac’s career to this point.

In his rookie campaign, he dealt with repeated ankle injuries which limited him to only 27 games that season. Isaac in that season showed a lot of flashes on the court. Which at the time, Magic fans were very ecstatic about.

In his sophomore season, he played very well and played 75 of the 82 games. He was an integral part of the team as the Magic finally made the playoffs to end the seven-year drought. The Magic breathed a sigh of relief as the ankle concerns were put to rest with a great strong season by Isaac.

It was his third year in the league where it was all a roller coaster ride.

The Florida State product was looking like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate as he was on a tear defensively averaging 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. But in January against the Washington Wizards, Isaac got a steal on defense and ran the floor for a Euro step layup in which he stepped on Bradley Beal’s foot and his knee twisted.

And down Isaac went. He grabbed his left knee and was in a lot of pain. The Magic had pretty much ruled him out for the season barring a miracle of a recovery.

Two months later, the NBA season was shut down due to COVID-19. And when it reopened in the bubble in August, Isaac looked great.

In the two games he played at the bubble, he played a total of 31 minutes combined and scored 20 points on 70-percent shooting while snagging 3 steals. Then, the worst happened. He went down in a blowout win vs the Kings, clutching his knee and screaming in agony. Isaac had suffered a torn ACL.

Since then, he has been isolated in recovery and eager to get back.

"“It’s frustrating,” Isaac said after shootaround Tuesday. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work. The staff and everybody have been working extremely hard to get me to a place of getting closer and closer. We just ran out of time to where we are right now. I’m just looking forward to the summer.”"

This was not that big of a shock as the Magic only have 13 games left this season

Isaac highlighted how disappointed he was he would not be able to play but he is fully locked in on his rehab for next season. He also added that his body feels good and the strengthening of the muscles around his right knee took a little longer than expected.

All in all, this whole rehabilitation has been very strange, to say the least. Isaac has been out since August 2, 2020, and will potentially (if all goes well) play again in October 2022. More than two years is not normal for an ACL rehab.

To put things into perspective, the last time Isaac played in a Magic uniform, he was 22 years old. The next time that happens, he will be 25 years old.

It has been a frustrating time for the Magic and their fans, eager to see this promising young player play again. That frustration has often boiled over with how secretive the Magic have been with Isaac and his recovery.

That frustration is shared.

"“I know there is frustration from the perspective of when is Jonathan going to return,” Weltman said Tuesday. “The fans want him back and everybody wants him to come back. I promise you and not even close — there is no second place — the most frustrated person is Jonathan because he is working hard every day. The daily grind, the focus, the foraging ahead that he is exhibiting and always exhibits is unparalleled. We don’t view it as frustration, we view it as work and we look at it as whatever we have to do to get Jonathan back on the court, that’s what we’re going to do and that’s what he’s going to do.”"

The goal has now shifted to getting Isaac healthy for next season’s opening night.

The Magic franchise certainly has their belief in Isaac and his gifted basketball ability. Only time will tell how Isaac forms into the mix with the young roster the Magic currently have.