Orlando Magic Offseason Preview: 3 going and 3 staying in the rebuild

3 staying, 3 going for the Orlando Magic

Staying: Jonathan Isaac

Instead of staying it should say “returning”.

Jonathan Isaac staying should not come as a shock to anybody. This only serves as a reminder that he should be fully healthy next year.

We have not seen Isaac on the court since the 2020 bubble when he injured his left knee. It has been a long recovery road since then.

Long might be an understatement, actually. The Magic have been extremely cautious noting that Isaac has virtually not played basketball since January 1, 2020, when he injured his knee with a lateral corner injury. His cameo in the bubble did not let him establish any kind of rhythm.

That absence has likely slowed the process down. As much as his recent hamstring surgery on his right hamstring slowed things down again.

The Magic have avoided putting a timetable on Isaac’s recovery at any point in the season. But they have already said the aim is for Isaac to return at the beginning of training camp. And that is the target for now.

It is easy to forget just how good Isaac was since it was so long ago.

During the 2020 season, he built off of his previous two seasons by averaging 11.9 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game to go with 2.3 blocks per game and 1.6 steals per game. He was a terror defensively and was in line to be on the All-Defensive team.

The Magic have already put a major investment into Isaac and are committed to him long-term. Isaac has the largest amount of guaranteed money on the team at $69 million and is signed through 2025.

He will be with the Magic for years to come but whether he can build off of the progress he made before he hurt his knee remains to be seen.