Last week, Magic forward Jonathan Isaac played back-to-back games for the first time in nearly four years, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
“I felt good and I’ve just been trying to do a better job of getting my rest when I need it,” Isaac said. “I definitely feel like my legs are getting back under me and I’m starting to just run free and jump free out there.”
Isaac, who missed two whole seasons — 2020-21 and 2021-22 — while recovering from a torn ACL, was limited to 11 games last season. He has already exceeded that total in 2023-24, appearing in 13 of Orlando’s 15 games, including Wednesday’s contest against Denver — the second of another back-to-back set.
Still just 26 years old, Isaac is averaging a modest 13.7 minutes per night off the bench. However, his coach and teammates have lauded Isaac’s defensive abilities, referring to him as “special” and “amazing” on that end of the court, according to Beede.
“He’s our defensive anchor,” guard Gary Harris said. “And we still have guys out right now so we can be a very scary team defensively, especially when everybody gets healthy.”
The 9-5 Magic have the top defense in the league early on this season, holding a 106.4 defensive rating. With Isaac on the court, that figure drops to a remarkable 94.0.
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