WATCH: Jonathan Isaac gets a warm ovation in his return to Orlando Magic after 904 days
Jonathan Isaac returned to the Orlando Magic roster after almost 3 years. He was out for two entire season due to ACL injury in 2020.
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Jonathan Isaac
Before coming off the bench against the Boston Celtics on Monday, Jonathan Isaac played his last game in 2020, in the bubble. He was injured when the Orlando Magic faced Sacramento Kings in August 2020. While attempting a shot with a drive, the magic player went down with a knee injury. He stayed down on the court a long time before he went to the locker room. He had suffered a serious ACL injury. Since then he had missed the entire 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons to recover from his injury.
When Isaac made his comeback against the Celtics, the sight was a lifetime memory for him. With seven minutes on the clock in the first quarter, the Magic player made his entry on the court. It was an emotional moment, not only for Jonathan but also for the spectators. As he entered the court, his teammates stood and cheered for him. What followed was fans’ standing ovation to the young man for his relentless attitude to get back on the court.
Before coming back to play for the Magic after recovering from the injury, the Orlando forward played a few games for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate. He has an excellent stretch of games there. In the Monday game against the Celtics, it was apparent why the organization was so invested in the young man. He scored 10 points and he was on the floor for only 10 minutes. “Much love to the Magic for sticking with me,” Isaac said. “And the Magic fans were excited, so I was just trying to bottle all that up in one moment. It was surreal,” he added.
Jonathan Issac before the injury and his impact on Orlando Magic
The Magic selected the 6-foot-10 forward with the sixth pick in the 2017 draught. It has changed gradually since then. He averaged 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in his first season. Despite only appearing in 27 games, he shot 37.9%, including 34.8% from beyond the arc. Jonathan Isaac was a talented young big player before his injuries. He could open up defenses with his shooting and all-around ability. In his final season before the injury, Isaac averaged 2.3 blocks and made excellent use of his enormous wingspan as a rim protector.
His return to the roster would have an exponential impact on the Magic’s overall performance. His ability to protect the rim and make impactful plays gives an edge to the team. Bol Bol has come out to become an excellent player, perhaps the team can use them both to create a defensive wall around the rim. There is just one problem. The Magic have won only 18 and lost 29 games so far this season and remain in the 13th spot in Eastern Conference. Isaac’s return would impact their outcomes, but to what extent the season is impacted, remains to be seen.
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Nandjee Ranjan
(488 Articles Published)