Orlando Magic: 4 observations after first 4 games in 2018-19

2. Jonathan Isaac is for real

Coming into this season, it was easy to overlook the impact that second-year player Jonathan Isaac could have on the Magic. Appearing in only 27 games his rookie season (starting 10 games) because of persistent ankle issues, much fanfare was given to Bamba before the regular season got underway.

Now appearing to be healthy, despite another injury scare during the preseason, Isaac has begun the year extremely well. So far, his averages of 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds with a ridiculous 3-point shooting percentage of 55.6 percent are all big improvements over year one.

While beating his rookie numbers was never going to be difficult if Isaac could stay on the court, his double-double in that win over the Celtics was among his most complete displays as a professional so far.

Isaac put up 18 points and 12 rebounds, looking like an offensive threat with his ability to stretch the floor while being the already solid defender he was advertised was being when he was taken with the sixth overall pick in 2017.

Defensively, the Magic have a rating of 106 when Isaac is on the court. This is uncharacteristic for him after he posted a much better number of 100.9 last season. The trade-off there, however, is that his offensive rating so far this year (104.9) is in a different league compared to his rookie year (91.6).

Isaac is also only averaging 19.6 minutes per game, due to a combination of not wanting him to get injured again and the competition for minutes among their big men. As he plays more, he can only improve in both areas.