Rudy Gobert moves up NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ladder 2.0

This is likely the last time we’ll see Jonathan Isaac on the ladder, as he will miss at least two months after sustaining a severe sprain and a bone bruise in his left knee in a New Year’s Day win over the Washington Wizards. Isaac has missed the last four games for the Orlando Magic and by the time Ladder 3.0 is released, he will likely fall below the 68 percent games played threshold.

That’s a shame, too, because Isaac was really coming into his own as a long, lean defender for the Magic, currently 12th in the NBA in steals at 1.6 per game and fourth with 2.4 blocks per game. Per Basketball-Reference, he also is leading the league in defensive box plus/minus.

Isaac had slipped a bit in the advanced metrics before his injury, falling outside the top 10 in Defensive RAPTOR and outside the top 40 in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus. His net on/off rating was 1.0 points per 100 possessions and his 7.4 percent block rate is fourth-best in the NBA.

He is only 22 years old, so he still has time to grow into his 6-foot-11 frame with a bit more bulk, something that might help him improve as a defensive rebounder (one of those often overlooked defensive tasks, finishing the possession). He was averaging 5.2 defensive boards per game, only a rate of 18.7 percent.