Magic Report Cards: Jonathan Isaac Re-establishes Himself as 'Minister of Defense'

After missing nearly three straight seasons, forward Jonathan Isaac returned to form for the Orlando Magic.

Nathaniel Marrero | May 26, 2024

May 3, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots the ball against Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the first quarter of game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — There was never any questioning Jonathan Isaac's skill set, but his multiple physical setbacks cast doubt on whether he'd ever re-establish himself as one of the NBA's elite defenders.

A torn ACL and adductor limited Isaac to 11 games in the previous three seasons. But in 2023-24, Isaac played in 58 games, the most since 2018-19, and he returned to form on the defensive end of the floor.

"The biggest thing was being healthy," Isaac said. "Outside of that, everything to me was a bonus, and now rolling into next season, I can really try to hone my skills and get back to who I've been."

Isaac, 26, led all NBA players with a 102.1 defensive rating and was tied for first on the Magic with 1.2 blocks per game. The 2017 No. 6 overall pick and former Florida State Seminole had 21 games with at least two blocks. His impact on the Magic's defense was evident, as Orlando from 15th in points allowed per game in 2022-23 to fourth this season and 16th in defensive rating to second.

Orlando was 35-23 in the games Isaac played and 12-12 without him. Isaac missed 24 games due to multiple lower body injuries. The Magic also exercised caution with Isaac in his first season back, as he averaged 15.8 minutes per game. Those limitations on his playing time likely cost Isaac consideration for the NBA All-Defense team.

The Bronx native also added value on offense, shooting 37.5 percent from 3 while averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Best moment: Isaac didn't take long to announce his presence and foreshadow his impact in the 2023-24. In the first game of the season, time was winding down in the third quarter and Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green drove to the basket with his sights set on a thunderous dunk. Green was met with a vicious block by Isaac, his second of the game, and he stood over the Rockets guard as the quarter expired — which drew a technical foul.

ANOTHER BLOCK 🚫

Welcome back Jonathan Isaac.

Rockets/Magic live on the NBA App: https://t.co/htyakZeFve pic.twitter.com/kxpU8Ywkgp
— NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2023

"I saw it was Green, and I was like okay, here we go. I'm either going to get dunked on, or I'm going to block it," Isaac said after the game. "I just went forward with everything I had, and once I got it, I was kind of shocked myself. The excitement poured over, I looked for a little second, and I tried to look away, but I got it. I was just excited about the play and excited about the moment."

"You hear the energy and feel the energy behind that," Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game. "That was such a momentum-building play. I know he got the technical, and we don't want to do that, but the other side of it is we have also said we're a defensive team, and that's setting the tone right away defensively. We're going to protect the rim."

Final grade: A

Isaac entered the season as one of the Magic's biggest question marks. Isaac silenced those doubters and helped catapult Orlando from a middle-of-the-pack defense to one of the NBA's best.

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