Magic Forward Jonathan Isaac: DPOY Contender This Season?
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ORLANDO - When Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac last played an NBA game, he looked like a future Defensive Player of the Year contender for years to come.
But an ACL tear has held Isaac out the past two years, hindering the former No. 6 pick to add onto an impressive 136 game sample size to begin his career.
Before suffering his devastating injury in the 2019-20 season, Isaac was in the midst of a career-best year, averaging 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals in just 28.8 minutes per game. He shot 47 percent from the field, including 34 percent from 3-point range and 78 percent from the free-throw line.
And that glimpse of what Isaac can provide on the defensive end has not faltered, as the 24-year-old currently holds the 35th-best odds to take home the Defensive Player of the Year award next season.
While it is a long shot at +18000, Isaac is not far behind players who have been playing consistently over the past two years, including his own teammate Mo Bamba whose odds sit at +10000.
When he does return, it will be to a roster that looks completely different than the one he played with two years ago. There are still some guys Isaac has experience playing with, including Bamba, Markelle Fultz and Terrence Ross. However, he'll have to work on his chemistry with Orlando's influx of young talent, including Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Wendall Carter Jr. and No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, Paolo Banchero.
And for the dominance he showed defensively his last time on the court, it may be worth taking those odds before tip-off on October 19th against the Detroit Pistons.
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