It is not Jonathan Isaac's fault. That needs to be said first.
Isaac, by all accounts, has done everything he can to return after every single one of his injuries. He has attacked the never-ending process of rehab with the same smile and intensity that he always has. Nobody would blame him for getting frustrated.
This latest injury is as frustrating as any other.
As he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday, he is still recovering from his knee injury from last year. Isaac was dealing with some nerve issues that slowed his recovery. He was still recovering as training camp began and has started to play 3-on-3, inching closer to making his season debut.
Maybe that would not be much of a story or much of a frustration if the Magic were not facing the major injuries they are facing at forward. With both Paolo Banchero and Noah Penda out, another round of Jonathan Isaac injury recovery feels like one too many for fans.
Isaac's presence, through no fault of his own, has come to represent the growing frustration among Magic fans.
It is the same story every year with this team, without much change. It is the same story, the same weaknesses, the same what-ifs every season for the past three seasons since that playoff breakthrough in 2024.
And while the Magic still have plenty of time to rewrite this season's narrative, right now the frustrations are centered on how little has changed, both in the team's play style and the results and personnel.
The constant return to Isaac is merely a representation of this frustration and the failure for this team to grow and address its critical needs.
Isaac's latest injury
Jonathan Isaac's season ended last year with a sprained knee that everyone feared was much, much worse.
It came in the game that would have guaranteed his contract, if the team and player had not agreed to change the guarantee trigger in his contract.
That decision to make his guarantee a date alone seemed like it signaled that the Magic were preparing to move on, cutting bait with a contract gamble that was no longer paying off. The team could no longer sustain him and his constant absence, considering the team's tightening financial picture.
The Magic ended up keeping Isaac on a minimum deal, waiving the non-guaranteed portion of his deal to open up the avenues to sign Nikola Vucevic and Jevon Carter to minimum contracts. But Isaac remained on the shelf.
But like everything else, the Magic bet on Isaac finally being healthy and finally being able to build on his still strong individual defense.
Isaac had the worst season of his career last year. He appeared in 52 games and averaged 2.6 points per game in 10.0 minutes per game. He shot only 42.2 percent from the field and 18.4 percent from three.
As had been the case in many of the past few seasons, his strong defense could not make up for the drain on offense.
The promise of Isaac's defense remained the basketball reason to bring him back. But it was increasingly more difficult to justify it at that cost as he fell out of the rotation.
Isaac on a minimum flyer is not such a bad idea . . . provided he played.
It seemed clear that second-year forward Noah Penda was gaining momentum to get a spot in the rotation. Isaac had become a true minimum player -- just there to fill in minutes on the roster when necessary.
But Isaac has not even been there because of these lingering injuries. It should be no surprise that is the case, considering the injuries he has constantly battled for the last six years.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
Needs unmet
It is clear watching the Orlando Magic that they have some serious needs.
They need more offensive-minded creators and scorers. They need a point guard and game manager to calm the team down and direct the offense. They espouse their defensive versatility but do not have players who can scale up and down in their roles on offense.
They are a wildly expensive team too. The team knows that change is coming regardless of this season's outcome. It is hard to waste a roster spot on someone who is constantly unavailable.
That is why the attention has turned to Jonathan Isaac so cruelly. It is not his fault he is in this circumstance. But the Magic's unending loyalty to players like Isaac has left them unable to address key needs.
It has left them staring at the second apron without haivng won a Playoff series.
This season feels like a turning point season. After three straight Playoff first-round exits, the Magic are trying to break through. They bet wholly on a healthy season for their star players to get them to their full potential.
Two games into the season, the Magic already lost one of those All-Star players. Three games into the season, the Magic already lost another starter on top of that.
Spending free agency on a player who cannot even play with those limited resources is proving costly to this season.
Maybe all of this is temporary.
Maybe Isaac is set to come back soon, and he will make an impact with the minutes he plays. Maybe when Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Noah Penda return, everything will make sense again. The Magic will surge with their health, and the vision will be that much more obvious.
All of that is possible. It is too early in the season to throw in the towel and give up on the whole process.
But the Magic sold health as the team's way forward. And a week into the season, the team has not even delivered that. It has exposed the other weaknesses in the roster that went unaddressed and the missed opportunities in not trying something different.
None of this is Isaac's fault. He has done all he can to play.
But that the Magic are waiting on Isaac again after waiting on Isaac in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 says it all about the Magic's lack of movement and eagerness to improve.
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