Jonathan Isaac Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Isaac Doesn’t Think He Returned Too Soon From Knee Injury

October 26th, 2020 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

After being diagnosed in early January with a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise, Magic forward Jonathan Isaac returned to action during the summer restart at Walt Disney World. His comeback was short-lived, however, as he went down with a torn left ACL during Orlando’s second seeding game.

Having suffered such a significant injury to the same knee that had just sidelined him for months, Isaac faced questions about whether he should have returned at all this summer, especially with the Magic viewed as an extreme long shot to make any noise in the postseason. However, he tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic that he has “no regrets” about the decision.

“In retrospect, no, I don’t think I came back too soon,” Isaac said. “I really was ready to go. I didn’t have any doubts about where I was in terms of moving or playing. I mean, you can watch from the clips of when I was playing — I was fine. I was in great shape outside of just my wind getting back. But I was in great shape. I think I was jumping my highest that I’ve done so far in my career.

“So I have no regrets about coming back or the timing that I did,” Isaac continued. “I trusted the staff, and we came to a decision: ‘I’m ready to play.’ It was my decision at the end of the day, and I went with it. And I’m glad I did.”

While his ACL tear is expected to cost Isaac the entire 2020/21 season, he has maintained a positive attitude about his recovery, telling Robbins that he’s not getting “down” or “upset” about the lengthy process. Isaac added that he has been comparing the steps of his recovery to those of teammate Chuma Okeke, who missed the 2019/20 season with a torn ACL of his own.

“I think he’s upbeat,” head coach Steve Clifford said of Isaac. “He’s attacking the rehab with a good, positive attitude, and that’s who he is. That’s the way he’s always been.”

Isaac is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, though it remains to be seen if he and the Magic will seriously attempt to negotiate a new deal while he’s still on the way back from his injury.

Southeast Notes: Brown, Weltman, Hornets

September 10th, 2020 at 7:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Wizards point guard Troy Brown Jr. performed competently for Washington in a back-up role during 2019/20, but his long-term fit behind John Wall and Ish Smith remains in question, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.

“We think Troy can be a back-up point guard,” Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard opined. “He’s going to need a lot more reps.”

The Wizards, with the No. 9 pick in the draft this season, have plenty of positions of need. If the team is convinced that Brown can develop into a reliable bench guard, Hughes writes, it can focus on other areas.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In an extensive conversation with Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman discussed possible contract extensions for injured forward Jonathan Isaac and intriguing guard Markelle Fultz, the first pick in the 2017 NBA draft. “These circumstances (with the pandemic) obviously make things more difficult (to plan) than in a typical summer,” Weltman said. “But we’ll have conversations with them at the appropriate time.”
The Hornets will have a uniquely fluid offseason, starting with a myriad of draft options with the No. 3 pick, writes Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Guard LaMelo Ball, swingman Anthony Edwards, and center James Wiseman appear to be the consensus top three picks this year, though Vecenie notes that the Hornets might also want to consider trading the pick and a promising young Charlotte player to the Warriors or Timberwolves in order to move up in the draft.
As we previously relayed, after teams were allowed to add one person to their bubble limit on Saturday, the Heat brought assistant Octavio De La Grana to the NBA’s Disney World campus. Miami now has its complete coaching staff ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Magic Expect Jonathan Isaac To Miss 2020/21 Season

August 31st, 2020 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

There’s still little clarity on when the 2020/21 NBA season will begin and end, but Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman confirmed today that his team expects Jonathan Isaac‘s recovery from a torn ACL to sideline the young forward for the full year.

“We will not have Jonathan Isaac next season,” Weltman said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Isaac was on his way to a breakout year in 2019/20, having averaged career highs in PPG (11.9), RPG (6.8), BPG (2.3), SPG (1.6), and a handful of other categories in the 34 games (28.8 MPG) he played. However, a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise sidelined him on January 1, and his comeback effort during the restart was abruptly halted in early August by a torn left ACL.

It’s not uncommon for NBA players’ ACL recoveries to span more than a full calendar year. For instance, Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn ACL in February of 2018 and missed the entire ’18/19 season. Klay Thompson tore his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals last June and won’t return for the Warriors until the start of the 2020/21 season.

Isaac projects to be one of the Magic’s cornerstone players going forward, so it makes sense for the team to set a conservative recovery timeline for him. Perhaps if the start of the 2020/21 season gets pushed back by several months, Orlando would reconsider Isaac’s return date, but for now it sounds like we shouldn’t expect to see him back on the court before ’21/22.

That timeline means Isaac may be on a new contract by the time he plays his next game. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason and will be a restricted free agent in 2021 if he and the Magic don’t reach a new deal before then.

Isaac’s knee injury may negatively impact his leverage when he negotiates his next deal, but if his recovery is progressing well, the Magic will likely still be confident about investing in him long term — Porzingis and Thompson, for instance, both signed five-year, maximum-salary contracts before they’d returned from their respective ACL tears.

Magic’s Isaac Undergoes Left Knee Surgery

August 7th, 2020 at 7:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac underwent surgery on his left knee on Friday, according to a team press release (Twitter link). Isaac’s surgery was needed to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscal tear.

The team did not announce a timetable. His return to the court will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehab, according to the release.

Isaac suffered the first major injury during the league restart. He was driving to the basket early in the fourth quarter of Orlando’s win over the Kings on Sunday when his left knee buckled. He was eventually taken off the court on a wheelchair.

He was on the verge of a breakout 2019/20 season, having averaged career highs in PPG (11.9), RPG (6.8), BPG (2.3), and SPG (1.6). However, a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise sidelined him on January 1 and he didn’t play again until the seeding games in Orlando.

The team’s president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, insisted earlier this week the two injuries weren’t related. Isaac, 22, is still on his rookie contract and will make $7.36MM next season, though his ability to return at any point is obviously in doubt.

Southeast Notes: Butler, Isaac, Hawks, Heat

August 7th, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, who continues to battle a right foot injury, has been ruled out for Saturday’s matchup with Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). It will be the third consecutive game that Butler has missed.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Thursday that Butler underwent both an MRI and an X-ray on the foot, which revealed no structural damage, per Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The hope for now is that rest is the best treatment for the All-Star wing.

“Jimmy had his final scan yesterday. And we understand what he’s dealing with,” agent Bernie Lee told The Herald. “And he’s working his butt off to get back on the floor ASAP and to be ready for the playoffs.”

The postseason isn’t scheduled to begin until August 17, so Butler has another 10 days to work his way back from the injury, which is mostly affecting his right ankle, according to Jackson and Chiang.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

In the wake of Jonathan Isaac‘s season-ending ACL tear, Josh Robbins and John Hollinger of The Athletic examine how the injury will affect Isaac and the Magic going forward. Hollinger believes Isaac’s long-term All-Star potential still exists, but says the young forward now has a “longer, less certain pathway” to reaching that ceiling.
After a series of conversations with sources and draft experts, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic takes a shot at filling out the top of the Hawks‘ draft board. Kirschner has Anthony Edwards at No. 1, followed by Deni Avdija, Isaac Okoro, Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, Devin Vassell, Killian Hayes, and Onyeka Okongwu.
Limits on team traveling parties mean that the Heat don’t have all their coaches and top executives with them at Walt Disney World, but head coach Erik Spoelstra said this week that he’s getting “daily notes” from president Pat Riley and other members of the organization, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel details.

Southeast Notes: Isaac, Riley, Wizards’ Lottery Odds

August 3rd, 2020 at 6:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac suffered the first major injury during the league restart. However, the team insists that his torn left ACL wasn’t related to the left knee injury that had sidelined him since New Year’s Day, according to Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel. The team’s president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, noted Isaac “cleared every hurdle” in his recovery from the knee injury.

“Absolutely and unequivocally not brought back too early,” Weltman said. “As a matter of fact, those of you guys who follow us locally know that if we’re ever going to be criticized as to the timing of returning our players to play, it’s at the other end of the spectrum.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Isaac is no longer with the team at the Orlando campus, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. The team wants to get a more complete set of MRI images of the interior of Isaac’s knee, according to Weltman.
The Heat need to show team president Pat Riley that he doesn’t need to use a chunk of his cap space this offseason on other teams’ free agents, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald opines. Miami has six impending free agents and the best-case scenario would be to re-sign some of those players to one-year deals and then dive into a much more attractive free agent market next summer. The Heat defeated Denver and lost to Toronto in their first two seeding games.
The Wizards have lost their first three games in Orlando but that isn’t helping their lottery odds, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. Prior to the restart, an amendment to the rules locked the eight teams who weren’t invited to Orlando into the top eight spots in the draft lottery. The best Washington can do is enter the lottery in the No. 9 spot, even if it loses its remaining games.

Magic Announce Torn ACL For Jonathan Isaac

August 3rd, 2020 at 7:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic‘s fears were confirmed following an MRI on Jonathan Isaac‘s injured left knee, with the team announcing early on Monday morning that the young forward has suffered a torn ACL and will be sidelined indefinitely.

According to the press release issued by the Magic, Isaac’s return to the court will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation. However, given the nature of the injury, it’s safe to assume he won’t be back this summer, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to play at all next season.

Isaac was driving to the basket early in the fourth quarter of Orlando’s blowout win over the Kings on Sunday when his left knee buckled and he went down, clutching the knee in pain. He was eventually taken off the court on a wheel chair.

Isaac was on the verge of a breakout 2019/20 season, having averaged career highs in PPG (11.9), RPG (6.8), BPG (2.3), SPG (1.6), and a handful of other categories in the 34 games (28.8 MPG) he played. However, a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise sidelined him on January 1, and his summer comeback effort was abruptly halted on Sunday by another injury to that knee.

As Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes, in the short term, Isaac’s injury will limit the Magic’s playoff upside this summer. However, it’s the long-term impact that figures to be of greater concern to the franchise. The 22-year-old, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, is viewed as perhaps Orlando’s most obvious franchise cornerstone. Now there’s no chance he won’t be back on the court before his rookie contract expires in 2021.

The Magic figure to be patient with Isaac’s injury, which shouldn’t compromise his long-term future in Orlando, but it creates some major questions for the club to answer within the next year or two. For instance, an offseason extension for Isaac had appeared likely, but that will be trickier to negotiate now that he’ll be in the early stages of rehabbing his torn ACL when he becomes extension-eligible.

Additionally, the idea of shopping Isaac’s fellow power forward Aaron Gordon in potential trades this fall figures to look less appealing with Isaac expected to miss most or all of 2020/21, as Robbins observes.

While the Magic will have to eventually consider those issues, for now they’re focused on supporting Isaac.

“It was tough seeing it just knowing what he’s been through and knowing the work he put in to get back out here,” teammate Markelle Fultz said, per Robbins. “Immediately when he went down, I just started to pray for him. I’m hoping everything works out the best for him. He’s just such a good guy.”

“We all love him to death,” Terrence Ross added. “Just to see what he’s been going through these last couple of years, it’s tough on everybody. If anybody can handle this and push through and come out better, it’s J.I. So our prayers are with him, and we’re going to support him no matter what.”

After consecutive wins in their first two seeding games, the Magic are 32-35, placing them seventh in the Eastern Conference and putting them in good position to make the postseason without participating in a play-in tournament. They’ll have to clinch that spot without their best defensive player in the lineup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jonathan Isaac Suffers Non-Contact Knee Injury

August 2nd, 2020 at 8:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac left Sunday’s game against Sacramento after suffering an apparent non-contact knee injury, as Roy Parry of The Orlando Sentinel details.

Isaac was driving to the basket early in the fourth quarter of Orlando’s blowout win over the Kings when his left knee buckled and he went down, clutching the knee in pain. He was eventually taken off the court on a wheel chair.

A severe left knee sprain and bone bruise had sidelined Isaac from January 1 until the season went on hiatus in March, and there was uncertainty about whether he’d be ready to return this summer. After participating in practices and scrimmages in July, the 22-year-old was given the go-ahead to play in the Magic’s seeding games. However, it appears likely that his comeback effort has come to an early end.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Isaac is undergoing an MRI on his knee at the Orlando campus on Sunday night. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated adds (via Twitter) that the team has fears that Isaac suffered a torn ACL. While such an injury would likely sideline the former lottery pick for most or all of the 2020/21 season, there’s no formal diagnosis yet.

For his part, head coach Steve Clifford expressed hope that the injury wouldn’t end up being that serious, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press relays (via Twitter).

“I’m hopeful. It looked bad, obviously, but until you hear anything I’m just hopeful, that’s all,” Clifford said. “… It’s all conjecture and you just have to wait and find out.”

As a first-round pick in 2017, Isaac will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason. It’s not clear if the two sides’ chances of getting something done this fall would be adversely affected if the knee injury turns out to be significant.

Eastern Notes: Isaac, Connaughton, Heat, Mokoka

July 27th, 2020 at 9:51am CST by Luke Adams

Jonathan Isaac hasn’t played for the Magic in nearly seven months, having suffered a knee injury on January 1. However, it looks like his return is imminent — the team’s performance staff and front office officials have cleared Isaac to suit up for Orlando’s scrimmage on Monday, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

The Magic are being extra cautious with Isaac, one of the franchise’s young cornerstones, so he’ll still have to make it through today’s shootaround before being given the go-ahead for the club’s evening scrimmage vs. Denver. And even if he plays, he’ll face restrictions, Robbins notes.

“It’s been a very long time since he’s played,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said of Isaac. “As always, we will take a very cautious approach, and his playing time will be placed under a very limited minute restriction as he gets reacclimated to the NBA game.”

The Magic had originally been planning to be without Isaac this summer, but the young forward has exceeded expectations, writes Robbins. If he gets through Monday’s scrimmage with no issues, he would be well positioned to contribute in the team’s seeding games and potentially the playoffs as well, which would be a nice boost for Orlando. Isaac was one of the NBA’s best defenders during the first half of the season, with averages of 2.4 blocks and 1.6 steals per game in 32 contests.

Here’s more from around the East:

Bucks wing Pat Connaughton, who revealed last week that he had tested positive for COVID-19, said on Saturday that he was en route to the NBA’s campus in Orlando, tweets Malika Andrews of ESPN. Assuming Connaughton began his quarantine that evening and returns two negative coronavirus tests, he should be cleared to rejoin the team today.
Heat starters Bam Adebayo and Kendrick Nunn confirmed that their arrivals to Orlando were delayed by positive COVID-19 tests, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Adebayo said that he was essentially asymptomatic, while Nunn had “mild symptoms,” per Winderman. “It felt like a common cold, to be honest,” Nunn said. “I’m just thankful I got over it.”
Bulls two-way player Adam Mokoka was named the MVP of a summer tournament in France, as Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago relays. Mokoka scored 18 points in the final of the Amiral League, which took place in Paris and also featured NBA players Frank Ntilikina and Sekou Doumbouya.

Southeast Notes: Fultz, Isaac, Dunn, Antetokounmpo

July 24th, 2020 at 8:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic guard Markelle Fultz isn’t quite healthy enough to participate in the team’s scrimmage on Saturday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. “These guys missed so much time and they weren’t able to be in a gym,” coach Steve Clifford said. “For Markelle, it’s just the situation that he was in.” Fultz’s arrival in Orlando was delayed due to a personal matter.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac will also sit out the scrimmage against the Lakers but he’s making progress, Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Clifford said Isaac took part in contact drills at practice and is “getting closer” to playing. Isaac has been sidelined since suffering a left knee injury on New Year’s Day.
There are quite a few free agent point guard options for the Hawks to consider as a backup but the Bulls’ Kris Dunn should be at or near the top of the list, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner opines. Dunn is an elite level defender, though he’d have to paired up with quality shooters due to his offensive limitations. The Grizzlies’ De’Anthony Melton would also be an interesting option who could be paired with Young at times because of his defensive prowess.
It isn’t out of the question the Hawks would make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo if the reigning Most Valuable Player becomes a free agent next summer, Kirschner adds in the same piece. If the Hawks’ young core shows major progress next season, they may be able to entice the superstar in a similar manner to what the Clippers did to lure Kawhi Leonard and trade for Paul George.
Bam Adebayo and Kendrick Nunn could make cameo appearances in the Heat’s scrimmage on Saturday, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “If they do, it’s just to get their feet wet,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. Both players arrived at Orlando’s campus on Tuesday.