Orlando Magic Injury Update: Jonathan Isaac 'Will Be Okay,' Says Jamahl Mosley
ORLANDO - Few players have experienced more trouble with injuries than Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac.
Isaac has struggled to stay on the court due to multiple season-ending injuries since 2020, and now the injury bug is biting him again. The veteran forward has missed three of the Magic's last four games with an ankle injury.
While any sentence with Isaac and injury in it will cause the alarm bells to ring in any Magic (14-6) fan's head, head coach Jamahl Mosley is optimistic about his eventual return.
"I think [Jonathan Isaac] will be okay," Mosley said. "It's going to continue to be monitored as we go along, just to make sure we're doing the right thing by him and our organization."
Jonathan Isaac guarding Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.
Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
Mosley added in an interview Monday that Isaac has returned to practice and should be "good to go" for the team's next game on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Isaac suffered the injury on Nov. 24 in Orlando's 113-96 win over the Boston Celtics at the Amway Center. He went up for a rebound and landed awkwardly, which left him on the court in visible pain. He did eventually get up and walk off of the court under his own power.
The seventh-year forward is averaging 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds across the 15 games he has played in. Isaac has also looked like the kind of defensive player he was pre-injury and is averaging 1.3 blocks and nearly a steal per game.
CBS Sports noted how good Isaac has looked off the bench to start the season.
"He was looking like a potential All-Defensive First Team honoree before his first serious injury in 2020. Now, he's able to channel those talents into short bursts where he can fly around and cause havoc," CBS Sports writes. "The only Magic players who have played fewer than Isaac's 201 minutes are either injured or not in the rotation. And yet, Isaac is fourth on the team in stocks (steals plus blocks) at 30. With Isaac on the court, they have an outrageous 93.3 defensive rating."
Isaac's health is crucial to the Magic's success this season, but after only playing 11 games in the last three seasons, one can't blame the team for being cautious with his return to the court.
The Magic will be back in action on Wednesday when it heads to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse to face the Cavaliers (11-9) at 7 p.m. ET.
