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Welcome back Jonathan Isaac: How injured players did in their returns

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jonathan Isaac is set to make his triumphant return to the court Monday night for the Orlando Magic. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jonathan Isaac is set to make his triumphant return to the court Monday night for the Orlando Magic. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Latrell Sprewell
The back half of Anfernee Hardaway’s run with the Orlando Magic was full of false starts. (Photo by STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images) /

How injured players did in their returns

Anfernee Hardaway

Feb. 5, 1999 vs. New York Knicks: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4/14 FG, 40:26

Anfernee Hardaway struggled in the years after Shaquille O’Neal left.

He had a stellar season in 1997 but the toll of carrying his own team was getting to him physically. That 1997 season, the first without O’Neal, saw him play only 59 games. Knee and ankle issues started to take their toll and Hardaway found himself constantly on the injured list.

He played only 19 games in the 1998 season, riding his popularity to a fourth straight All-Star bid. Everyone knew that something was different and off with Hardaway. And the Magic organizationally had to think about its future a bit more.

There was one last hurrah though. The dreaded 1999 lockout-shortened season saw Hardaway play all 50 games. But he was not the same player. Hardaway had slowed a step down.

Hardaway averaged 15.8 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game that season. They were still good numbers but hardly the dynamic player he was. Not to mention everyone showed up out of shape following the lockout — NBA culture is very very different now as evidenced by a better lockout-shortened season in 2012.

Hardaway’s first game, the season debut in February in Orlando against the New York Knicks, saw some of the flashes of what made him a dynamic All-Star before his injury but also how much he and the league slowed down.

Hardaway scored 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting with just nine rebounds. It was a rough and rusty game. That may have had to do both with his own layoff but also the lockout layoff.

Hardaway would score at least 20 points in his next four games to open the season, including a 28-point effort against the Boston Celtics in the third game of that 50-game season. Hardaway would get two 30-point games in April. So he eventually did find himself despite the rough return.