The Orlando Magic needed rookie Jonathan Isaac to come in and help them right away, but an inability to stay on the court meant this didn’t happen.
When the Orlando Magic selected Jonathan Isaac with the sixth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the decision was met with some scrutiny.
While there was no question the forward had warranted shooting up draft boards in the months leading up to big day, there were better players thought to be out there. Guys like Dennis Smith Jr. (an exciting point guard the Magic could have invested in) or Donovan Mitchell (better than anybody could have hoped) were still on the board at the time.
Still, the thinking was that a defensive-minded player with a shooting touch like Isaac, who also has a versatile frame, could fill all sorts of spots for this team, even more so when combined with former head coach Frank Vogel. The thinking was that they could create an identity around players like Isaac.
We may not have seen as much of the rookie as we would have liked, but in the end the organization looks to have been proven right. Let’s take a look at how Jonathan Isaac’s 2017-18 season went.