Jonathan Isaac

Southeast Notes: Rozier, Hornets, Isaac, Keefe

February 1st, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Even though Terry Rozier hadn’t won with the Heat until Wednesday night, he has noticed a sharp contrast between Miami and his former team, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Rozier, who dropped 18 of his last 21 games with Charlotte before being traded last week, said the Hornets don’t place the same emphasis on winning that the Heat do.

“It’s the total opposite,” Rozier stated. “In Charlotte, you’re kind of used to losing. It’s in the DNA… Over here, it’s the total opposite. Nobody wants to lose. Nobody is fine with it. … This organization, when you lose, it bothers them.”

Although Rozier’s comments sound like an insult to the Hornets, his ex-coach and former teammates don’t seem upset about them, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Steve Clifford believes Rozier was referring to the added pressure to win that exists in Miami, while Miles Bridges said his team should use Rozier’s analysis as inspiration.

“I mean, he’s not wrong,” Bridges said. “I’m not saying we’ve got losing DNA, but the way that we’ve been taking losses and … I wouldn’t say we are getting used to it, but it’s like we are just moving on. We are not really taking it that serious. We’ve got to take it serious, man. Terry is getting a lot of backlash for what he said, but he’s been in the locker room. He’s been a vet in this locker room and he sees what’s going on. So, we’ve just got to turn that into motivation.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball missed his third straight game Wednesday and is considered day-to-day with soreness in his right ankle, Boone adds. Gordon Hayward, who hasn’t played since straining his left calf on December 26, has started doing individual basketball activities, but there’s no timetable for his return. Mark Williams is trying to recover from a lower back contusion, but Boone considers it unlikely that he’ll return before the All-Star break if he isn’t cleared to resume team activities soon.
The Magic continue to be careful with Jonathan Isaac, who played just eight minutes Monday on the second night of a back-to-back, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters that the team’s approach with Isaac is focused on “the long game more than this moment right now.”
The Wizards have been invigorated under interim coach Brian Keefe, with a rare two-game winning streak earlier this week, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. Wallace notes that players have responded to Keefe’s direct style. “In film, if you’re wrong, you’re wrong. There’s no conversation about it,” Landry Shamet said. “[Keefe’s] a black-and-white guy: ‘This is what we should have been doing, and this is what we did. Here’s the divide.’ And that’s incredibly important as a coach and a leader. It’s been great.”

Magic Notes: Isaac, Banchero, Suggs, Black

January 29th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac plans to be available tonight in Dallas for the second game of a back-to-back, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. It’s a significant step for Isaac, who has seen his career derailed by injuries over the past three years.

Isaac played 23 minutes Sunday against Phoenix with nine points and three rebounds, marking the second straight time he has exceeded 22 minutes. He has already missed 18 games this season, including seven in a row recently with a strained right hamstring, and he’s working with coach Jamahl Mosley and the team’s training staff to make sure he’s healthy for a potential playoff run.

“I’m getting there,” Isaac said. “Just talking with coach and figuring out how I’m coming along and what’s going to be the direction. I’m just telling them I’m ready to go. I’m going to continue to just take it one game at a time.”

Isaac was Orlando’s starting power forward early in his career, but ACL injuries cost him two full seasons and limited him to 11 games in 2022/23. He has become a valuable defensive presence off the bench, and his coach hopes to be able to use him more often as the season wears on.

“We’re able to push a little bit more of the limits of what he’s able to do and that’s going to continue to happen,” Mosley said. “We’ll just look at it on a game-to-game basis more than where we’ll fully go. Because it’s also (about) how he responds to these games and what it looks like for him.”

There’s more from Orlando:

Sunday’s win over the Suns was significant for a Magic team that has been sliding down the Eastern Conference standings following a hot start. Paolo Banchero tells Beede that the players need to regain their focus for the second half of the season (Twitter link). “We’ve just got to come together as much as we can, pick up the communication, pick up the intensity, and get back to being together as a group,” Banchero said. “It’s just that point in the season where it starts feeling like a grind for a lot of guys, including myself. We’ve just got to fight through it, push through it, come together as a group and be there for each other.”
Jalen Suggs left Friday’s game at Memphis in the first quarter due to a bruised left knee, but he was able to return on Sunday, Beede tweets. Suggs was back in his usual role, starting and posting 10 points, four rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes.
Isaac is impressed by rookie guard Anthony Black‘s desire to match up with the NBA’s best scorers, Beede adds (Twitter link). “There was one moment where I saw he wanted to guard (Devin) Booker and coach had told him to guard somebody else,” Isaac said. “… And he was frustrated. To have a young guy that wants to guard and wants to be in the game to make plays like that speaks to who he is. He’s going to continue to get better.”

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Ball, Miller, Martin, Isaac

January 13th, 2024 at 1:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Billionaire executive Laurene Powell Jobs plans to sell about half of her substantial stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the holding company that controls the Washington Wizards, Capital One Arena, and the NHL’s Washington Capitals, according to Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick of Sportico. Powell Jobs will reportedly sell approximately 10% of Monumental.

The widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Powell Jobs is one of the wealthiest women in the world, with major shares in Apple and the Walt Disney Company. She is currently the second-largest Monumental Sports & Entertainment shareholder, only trailing managing partner Ted Leonsis, per Sportico. It’s unclear if that will remain the case once she sells 10% of the company.

As Sportico’s authors write, it’s too early to speculate on how much 10% of Monumental might be worth, but a smaller stake sold at a $4.05 billion valuation last year.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Hornets star LaMelo Ball returned from a 20-game absence on Friday following a severe right ankle sprain, recording 28 points, five assists and five steals in 27 minutes. While the 22-year-old said he felt “great,” the blowout loss to San Antonio didn’t sit well with him, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “It’s always good to play basketball, but (shoot), not like that,” Ball said. “But it was cool to get back out there.”
On the same day Ball returned, the injury-plagued Hornets lost No. 2 pick Brandon Miller to a lower back contusion, according to Boone, who says the young wing was still in discomfort after the game. “That definitely took a little bit out of us for sure,” head coach Steve Clifford said. “Hopefully, he’s OK and it’s not serious.”
Heat wing Caleb Martin recorded 11 points, four rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes during Friday’s win over Orlando, which marked his first game back from an ankle injury, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel relays (subscriber link). Martin had missed the past seven games with a right ankle sprain. “Caleb is so dynamic,” Bam Adebayo said. “He can score. He can defend. He can play point if you need him to. You can put him in so many different roles and he accepts that challenge.“
Magic big man Jonathan Isaac is on track to return on Saturday vs. OKC following a 10-game absence, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. One of the team’s best defenders, Isaac missed nine games due to a right hamstring strain before missing a 10th game with an illness, Beede notes.

Southeast Notes: Ingles, Magic, Butler, Dragic, Hornets

January 12th, 2024 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic will get some reinforcements on Friday, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who says that forward Joe Ingles is no longer listed on the injury report after missing the team’s past 13 games due to a sprained left ankle.

Ingles had been a key reserve off Orlando’s bench early in the season, averaging 5.1 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per night across 23 healthy appearances before being injured in his 24th game.

The Magic are still relatively banged up, with Franz Wagner (right ankle sprain) and Gary Harris (right calf strain) set to sit out for a fourth straight game on Friday, while Jonathan Isaac will be unavailable for a 10th consecutive contest.

Isaac is being listed as out due to an illness after being sidelined for nine games due to a hamstring strain, Beede notes — we’ll see once that illness passes whether the forward is ready to return from his hamstring injury. As for Wagner, he went through a light workout on Thursday, but isn’t taking contact yet, per head coach Jamahl Mosley.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Jimmy Butler (right toe MP joint sprain) has been upgraded on the Heat‘s injury report, but he’s still considered doubtful to play on Friday vs. Orlando, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. There’s a sense that Butler could make his return on Sunday vs. Charlotte or Monday in Brooklyn, Chiang adds.
Veteran guard Goran Dragic, who recently announced his retirement as a player, spoke to Chiang about why he had hoped to finish his career with the Heat, as well as his favorite memories of his time in Miami. Dragic also stated that he “definitely” has interest in joining the organization in some capacity during the next phase of his career. “I don’t know if I want to be a coach,” Dragic said. “My main thing right now is I would like to stay in Miami to be with my kids, to be a dad. But definitely, that’s my dream, to work for the Heat some day. You know, the goals change every year. And maybe in one year, it’s going to be, ‘I want to be a coach.’ You never know.”
The Hornets officially unveiled plans on Friday for $215MM in renovations to the Spectrum Center. Chase Jordan of The Charlotte Observer takes a closer look at what fans can expect from the renovation project, which is being funded by the city. Work is scheduled to begin in May 2024 and conclude before the start of the 2025/26 season.

Injury Notes: Beal, J. Murray, Jazz, Magic

December 6th, 2023 at 8:31am CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Bradley Beal has been limited to just three games for his new team so far this season and hasn’t played since November 12 due to back problems. However, the hope is that he won’t be sidelined for too much longer, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on The Rally (Twitter video link).

“I’m told Beal has started his ramp-up process and he’s continuing to progress in that ramp-up,” Charania said. “The goal is to track toward a return soon, potentially over the next 10 days, as long as the progress continues. But we know it’s been a fluid process with this back (issue). The back can be something that you have to be cautious with.”

As Charania notes, the Suns are willing to be patient with Beal since their priority is to be healthy when the postseason begins in the spring — they’d rather hold him out for a few extra games now if it means having him available in April.

Phoenix has also been playing relatively well without its third star, lessening the need to get Beal back on the court as soon as possible. Since Devin Booker returned on Nov. 15, the Suns are 8-3 — and Booker sat out one of those three losses.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who injured his right ankle in his first game back from a hamstring injury last Wednesday, is considered questionable to return to action tonight vs. the Clippers, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “Hamstring’s fine. I’ve worked enough to get it back to strength,” Murray said. “Now it’s just another thing.” As Durando points out, Murray would become eligible for a super-max extension if he earns All-NBA honors this season, but he’ll fall short of the 65-game minimum required for All-NBA consideration if he misses five more contests.
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson will miss a third straight game on Wednesday in Dallas due to a right thigh contusion, the team announced (via Twitter). Kelly Olynyk (right shoulder strain) has been ruled out for a second consecutive game, while Lauri Markkanen (left hamstring strain) will remain unavailable for a sixth game in a row. The expectation is that Markkanen will be reevaluated at some point this week, at which time we may get a better sense of his recovery timeline.
Magic guard Markelle Fultz (left knee tendinitis), who has been ruled out for a 13th straight game, is “progressing slowly” and still isn’t doing full contact work in practices, head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Tuesday, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Jonathan Isaac, who has logged just seven minutes in Orlando’s past four games due to ankle issues, is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game in Cleveland, Beede adds.

Southeast Notes: Isaac, Wagners, Washington, Adebayo

November 22nd, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Rory Maher

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 ’21/22 — while recovering from a torn ACL, was limited to 11 games last season. He has already exceeded that total in ’23/24, appearing in 13 of Orlando’s 15 contests, including Wednesday’s vs. 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. But he’s recording 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steal per game in those limited minutes, and 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.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports details how Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner — brothers who won a gold medal at the World Cup with the German national team — are helping turn the Magic into a possible playoff contender. “It was purely about, how can we all come together and do something that’s greater than each individual by themselves?” Franz said of the World Cup. “I think we’re creating that same vibe here in Orlando.”
P.J. Washington has started for most of his five-year career with the Hornets, but he was moved to the bench once Miles Bridges returned from a suspension. He took the move in stride, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “At the end of the day it’s a team game,” Washington said. “When we win, we win as team and when we lose, we lose as a team. For me, I just try to come out here and try to be a professional and do whatever coach asks me to do. Whether it’s play the ‘5’ play the ‘3,’ play the ‘4.’ I’m just trying to do everything I can to win. It’s as simple as that.” Washington was a late scratch for Wednesday’s game against the Wizards due to right foot discomfort, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).
Heat center Bam Adebayo was ruled out of Wednesday’s game against Cleveland due to hip discomfort, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. With Kevin Love also out for personal reasons, Miami turned to Thomas Bryant and Orlando Robinson to man the middle.

Southeast Notes: Poole, Bridges, Hornets, Isaac

November 16th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Jordan Poole has already become a target for criticism in his first season with the Wizards, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. Beyond Poole’s penchant for questionable shots and high-risk plays, controversy erupted this week via a video clip from Sunday’s loss at Brooklyn. The guard appears uninterested in the play that coach Wes Unseld Jr. was designing, Wallace notes, focusing his attention elsewhere until a teammate taps him on the shoulder.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Unseld said he hasn’t watched the video and isn’t concerned about Poole’s level of commitment.

“There’s a thousand moments, I think, during the game, and there are times where coaches are talking to players, players are talking to players,” Unseld said. “That happens. I think right now for him, he’s probably under a little bit of a microscope. People are looking for things. So I don’t know the exact sequence of the events, but it’s not a big deal until it becomes a big deal.”

Poole became a leader for a rebuilding Washington franchise when he was acquired in a trade with Golden State this summer. It’s not a role that he’s used to after entering the league with a veteran Warriors team, and Unseld said that has resulted in extra attention from fans who are monitoring his behavior.

Poole also dismissed concerns about the video, saying he understood the play from Unseld and it was “a very normal timeout.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets released a statement (via Twitter), indicating that Miles Bridges will return to action Friday after serving a 10-game suspension regarding his domestic violence case. “We are comfortable with Miles returning to play based on our current understanding of the facts of the recent allegations and remain in contact with the NBA as that matter proceeds through the court process,” the statement reads.
Bridges’ return will be welcome for a Hornets roster that has been depleted by injuries, notes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The team only had 10 available players for Tuesday’s game, as Gordon Hayward, Brandon Miller, Terry Rozier, Cody Martin and Frank Ntilikina were all sidelined. “He’s going to be great,” P.J. Washington said of Bridges. “I just can’t wait for y’all to see him. I know he’s excited to play and we are excited to play with him. So, I’m just happy for him to be back on the floor and I can’t wait for him to come out there and help us, because we need it for sure.”
Magic power forward Jonathan Isaac was able to play both games of a back-to-back this week for the first time since December of 2019, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Isaac is finally healthy after missing more than two years with leg injuries. “The guys have so much confidence in him,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Him being at that rim, whether it’s blocking the shot or just changing and alternating shots — it’s what he’s capable of doing.”

Southeast Notes: Isaac, Adebayo, Perry, Wizards’ Draft

May 7th, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jonathan Isaac only appeared in 11 games this season but the Magic forward is optimistic he’ll be fully healthy by training camp, according to Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. Isaac’s career has been marred by lower body injuries.

“This is really going to be the first summer I have to fully work,” he said. “Every other summer I’ve been rehabbing trying to get back onto the court. So I’ll hopefully in the next few weeks be a full go. And doing everything I need to do to have a healthy next season.”

Isaac’s contract for next season has a base salary of $17.6MM. It is partially guaranteed for $7.6MM before it becomes fully guaranteed on Jan. 10.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Bam Adebayo racked up 17 points and 12 rebounds in Game 3 of the Heat’s playoff series against the Knicks and coach Erik Spoelstra said his impact went beyond the numbers, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. Adebayo also hounded Julius Randle defensively, among other contributions. Spoelstra feels players who don’t put up big offensive numbers often get overlooked. “The average eye might not realize how dominant Bam’s game was to impact a win. He was dominant,” Spoelstra said. “And the shame of it is in today’s day and age, people only view that as dominant if you score 40 points or more or have some kind of gaudy stat line.”
The Wizards should seriously consider longtime NBA executive Scott Perry to be their next GM, Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post opines. The current Knicks GM is the type a multidimensional talent evaluator who could give the Wizards an identity, according to Brewer, who says Perry also has the skill set and personality to lead the organization.
What would the Wizards do if they wound up with the No. 10 pick in the draft for the second consecutive season? Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores that question using the RealGM draft simulator. The Wizards ended up with Kentucky point guard Cason Wallace in that simulation, which would fill their biggest need at a great value, Hughes notes.

Injury Updates: Randle, Middleton, House, Isaac

April 11th, 2023 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Julius Randle practiced on a limited basis on Tuesday, giving the Knicks hope that he might play this weekend against Cleveland, Zach Braziller of the New York Post reports. Randle sprained his left ankle on March 29.

“He did some [work in practice]. Making steady progress. Taking it day-to-day,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s doing some running, shooting, scripting, that sort of thing.”

We have more injury updates:

Khris Middleton was not a full participant during the Bucks’ practice session on Tuesday but they’re hopeful he’ll be ready to go by the end of the week, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Middleton tweaked his troublesome right knee last week. “He’ll do some individual work, get some weight room work and he’ll do more individual work (Wednesday) and then we’re anticipating and planning for him to practice on Thursday,” coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Sixers swingman Danuel House Jr. didn’t practice on Tuesday due to a sore foot, but head coach Doc Rivers expects him to be available for Game 1 against Brooklyn, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He hurt his foot in one of the (last) two games,” Rivers said. “But I think he will be OK.”
Magic big man Jonathan Isaac underwent season-ending adductor surgery in early March. He expects to be at full strength by training camp, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel reports. “This is really going to be the first summer I have to fully work,” Isaac said. “Every other summer I’ve been rehabbing trying to get back on to the court. So I’ll be hopefully in the next few weeks be a full go. And doing everything I need to do to have a healthy next season.”

Southeast Notes: Murray, Oladipo, O. Robinson, Isaac

March 10th, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray received a $500K bonus earlier this week after he converted his 123rd three-pointer, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links).

As Marks notes, the bonus was considered unlikely because Murray had never previously reached that milestone. Atlanta’s 2022/23 team salary will increase by $500K as a result, moving that number just $1.1MM below the luxury tax threshold.

The bonus will also impact Murray’s cap hit for next season, bumping it from $17.7MM up to $18.2MM, Marks adds. The Hawks were tracking the likelihood of the bonus being reached, plus they added Saddiq Bey, which is why they were motivated to make a salary-dump trade at the deadline, according to Marks.

Through 61 games (36.4 MPG) in his first season with Atlanta, Murray is averaging 21.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 6.0 APG and 1.5 SPG on .467/.362/.847 shooting. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Victor Oladipo has had plenty of highs and lows in 2022/23. He missed the first 24 games of the season with a knee injury, but he played in his 35th game on Friday night versus Cleveland and appears on track to play his most games since 2018/19, when he suffered a major quad injury. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, Oladipo has struggled with inconsistency on offense, but has played solid defense thus far. “Everybody goes through stuff, everybody goes things,” the Heat guard said. “It’s about how you have resolve and how resilient you are, it really defines who you are as a person and defines who you are as a man. So I’m just going to continue to keep getting better and staying aggressive.”
The Heat signed a couple of frontcourt veterans last month in Kevin Love and Cody Zeller, which removed Orlando Robinson from the rotation. The rookie center, who is on a two-way deal with Miami, only has four active games remaining as part of his contract, so the temporary plan is to send Robinson back to the G League for playing time, Chiang writes in a subscriber-only story for The Miami Herald. The Heat have enough wiggle room beneath the tax line to convert Robinson to a standard deal if they want to, but the problem is their 15-man roster is full, so they don’t appear to be in any rush on that decision, Chiang notes.
Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link) believes it’s time for the Magic to move on from Jonathan Isaac, who underwent season-ending adductor surgery after appearing in just 11 games. Bianchi heaps praise on Isaac off the court and believes he has plenty of potential on it, but says his lengthy injury history makes it too risky to keep him around. Isaac missed all of ’20/21 and ’21/22 while recovering from a torn ACL, and missed a significant amount of time in his first three seasons as well. The 25-year-old’s contract for next season is partially guaranteed for $7.6MM, but it would be “silly” to bring him back and pay him his full $17.4MM salary, according to Bianchi.

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