Friday's game against the Washington Wizards was a milestone of sorts for Jonathan Isaac.
The veteran forward has survived three years full of injuries to make it through healthy for the past two. It feels like Isaac can put those injuries behind him.
When he stepped onto the floor at Capital One Arena, it marked the first time he had played on that floor since suffering a lateral corner injury on Jan. 1, 2020, setting off his long odyssey to return to the court (he returned from that injury in the bubble before tearing his ACL just two games into the seeding games).
The only problem? Isaac did not step onto the floor until the fourth quarter with the game long decided. He played only 6:39, checking out so the deep bench players could take care of business to close out the 120-105 victory.
That has been a growing trend for Isaac. He has not played more than 10 minutes in the last four games and has cleared 15 minutes of action in just two games since the All-Star break.
Isaac was meant to be the Magic's X-factor for the postseason. A player so versatile and so devastating that they had to devise creative ways to get him on the floor and terrorize opposing teams.
Isaac can still be terrorizing on defense. But he has struggled in all aspects of his game this season.
A controversial decision to put on more than 20 pounds has seemingly slowed him down and he has never quite adjusted. Like everyone else on the team his shooting struggles are noted.
Now Isaac is at a crossroads, essentially out of the rotation and getting limited opportunity to contribute.
Depending on matchups?
With the Orlando Magic leaning more heavily on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as the season winds down, Jonathan Isaac has turned into a situational player, playing depending on matchups rather than getting a guaranteed spot in the rotation.
Isaac is seemingly getting left behind.
"As we're looking at these games as Playoff-type, win-the-next-game you've got to look at matchups. Goga [Bitadze] was having an incredible game. There were moments where you thought of bringing him back in," coach Jamahl Mosley said after the Orlando Magic's loss to the Houston Rockets. "It was mainly the flow of the game and whether we were going to go two bigs, that was the plan initially. He took the two bigs out and we go back and forth. Realizing what is happening within the game has nothing to do with how Jonathan is playing and the matchup in the moment and the flow of the game."
Jonathan Isaac showed encouraging signs going up against the Rockets' big lineup that features Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun playing together.
According to NBA.com's matchup data, Isaac held Sengun scoreless on two field goal attempts when they were matched together. Sengun's first turnover came with Isaac knocking the ball away from him. Orlando had a 105.3 defensive rating in Isaac's eight minutes of action—the team finished the game with a 120.8 defensive rating.
Bitadze though had his best game in months, scoring 19 points and grabbing eight rebounds, including six offensive rebounds. It was a coach's decision to stick with the traditional center against the bigger, rebounding-focused Rockets team.
But Isaac's short stint is in line with what Isaac has always provided. This season, the Magic have a 107.3 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor.
The difference is that is not the best mark among rotation players as it has been the last several seasons when he was healthy. Gary Harris (103.8), Jalen Suggs (104.8), Franz Wagner (105.9), Cory Joseph (106.6) and Moe Wagner (107.0) all have better on-court defensive ratings (although notably many of those players share the floor with Isaac for many of their minutes).
For comparison, Isaac had a 102.1 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor last year. It is one of the many areas Isaac has notably slipped in what has turned into a frustrating season.
A season of struggles
There is no denying, how much Jonathan Isaac has struggled this season. He is averaging 5.5 points per game (down from 6.8 points per game last year) and is shooting 40.8 percent from the floor and a career-worst 26.6 percent from three.
For a team hungry for offense, Isaac's struggles to hit from the outside have hurt the most. And with his defense slipping, it makes his offensive shortcomings that much harder to digest.
The Magic have often been able to cover any offensive shortcomings from Isaac because his defense was so overwhelming for opponents. The Magic could drop him anywhere and wreck a team's offense.
That has not been the case this year.
It has been as confounding as anything else the Magic have gone through this season. Isaac has been searching for answers too.
"I've known throughout the season so far that I haven't been at my best," Isaac said after the Orlando Magic's win over the Philadelphia 76ers in January. "I'm still getting in shape and still finding my footing. The last few games I've felt more energized. I felt like I could run longer. That opens up the offensive glass. I didn't feel tired in the second half at all. I can keep playing another game right now."
Isaac had that moment of clarity in January. He scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 27 minutes during that win over the Sixers. He had two nine-point games sandwiched around it. He scored in double figures in back-to-back games in the win over the Detroit Pistons and double overtime loss to the Miami Heat in late January.
However, he has scored in double figures only once since then—the win over the San Antonio Spurs when he scored 14 points and was key in matching up with Victor Wembanyama. He has averaged only 3.6 points per game and shot 31.3 percent from three in the 20 games he has played since.
Now Isaac has struggled to find his minutes. The Magic are unsure of what they will get from this unique player. And they have to ask of the player they signed to a fresh extension—four more years and $59 million after this season with non-guarantees based on games played markers—whether they will get what makes Isaac unique.
Isaac has always had a positive outlook on life. It is one of his strengths. But everything has been a mystery for him. He has been sitting trying to figure out why he has struggled all season long.
"It's been rough on me," Jonathan Isaac said after the Orlando Magic lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 9. "I haven't shot the ball well. I'm just trying to be useful. My defense hasn't been great. I'm still figuring it out right now.
"I just have to stick with it. I have bright moments. I haven't been able to be consistent. I'm working on that."
Things have not improved much for Isaac. There is no progress. And now it appears his rotation spot is uncertain.
Everyone knows what Isaac can bring to the team. Everyone knows what he could mean for the Magic and their future. Everyone knows how he can change games with his presence.
This season has not turned out he or anyone hoped for Isaac. Another offseason of work—perhaps slimming back down or getting more accustomed to playing heavier—could help him reclaim what makes him special.
For now, the Magic's X-factor has been unable to make a difference consistently.