3 Orlando Magic players who lost the most from the playoffs

1. Jonathan Isaac

All anyone could think about as the playoffs approached was how the Orlando Magic could maximize Jonathan Isaac in the series. Everyone saw him as a true X-factor for the playoffs series. Nobody knew how the Magic would deploy him, but everyone wanted him to be anywhere.

Nobody is losing faith in Jonathan Isaac after his playoff performance. Everyone wants to include him in their trade proposals not just because of his salary (he is the highest-paid player on the team at $17 million) but because he is a game-changing defender.

The Magic certainly felt that way and felt they could deploy Isaac anywhere. And in their playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they put Isaac everywhere.

As much as the Magic value versatility and the ability for players to do everything, there is something to say about doing what players are comfortable doing. And the Magic seemed to overextend Isaac.

Isaac's impact is measured in his defense. The Magic had a 102.1 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor. That was the best mark among rotation players on the Magic and 8.7 points per 100 possessions better than the team's average.

In the playoffs, the Magic had an impressive 98.7 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor. But that was only 1.3 points per 100 possessions better than the team's overall average.

Isaac got deployed everywhere. He started at center for Games 1 and 2 and struggled to deal with Jarrett Allen. The Magic had a -19 total plus/minus in the starting group with Isaac at center, and Allen had 18 and 20 rebounds in the first two games.

Even deploying Jonathan Isaac to help slow down Donovan Mitchell was a struggle.

In Game 6, Mitchell scored 10 points and shot 4 for 6 with Isaac as his primary defender, according to NBA.com's tracking data. The Magic never really deployed Isaac on Mitchell. Perhaps that was an arrow they should have taken out of their quiver.

But the playoffs seemed to stretch Isaac thin defensively. The Cavs did a good job taking him out of plays and limiting his defensive impact—Game 4 steal and three-pointer during that incredible third quarter aside.

The bigger question for the Magic is whether they can scale Isaac's minutes up. He played limited minutes as he came back from his injury. He played 21.0 minutes per game in the playoffs (up from 15.8 per game in the regular season). Orlando still wants as much Isaac as they can get. But there seemed to be a limit to how versatile he can be. Defining his role might still be the way to move forward.