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Orlando Magic: Jonathan Isaac’s ACL tear a sickening blow

By Luke Duffy

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 02: Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic is helped off the court in a wheelchair after an injury against the Sacramento Kings in the second half of a NBA basketball game at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 2, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 02: Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic is helped off the court in a wheelchair after an injury against the Sacramento Kings in the second half of a NBA basketball game at HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 2, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /
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Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) /

What the Orlando Magic will miss

Isaac could have been, and perhaps he still might be down the road, but another significant leg injury in only his third year in the league raises all kinds of questions. ACL tears aren’t the death sentence to careers that they once were, but there is no doubt now that making him the centerpiece of a potential contender in the future is a risk.

That is not to say that Isaac’s career is over, or anything close to it. The Magic still have a young player with tremendous defensive potential, who will surely come back from this injury and help the organization on the court. Off the court, he appears to be a genuine and really well-liked guy as well. There are just now question marks over quite how much he can be depended on in the future.

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We could speak here about Isaac’s decision to stand during the National Anthem during the two seeding games he featured in, but that is a conversation not to be had now. The ways in which a player chooses to support a cause are unique to them, and there is no doubt that Isaac is vocal in all of the right ways about the social justice issues we are currently living through.

Which makes some of the comments seen on social media after he went down, with plenty of people appearing to revel in the misfortune of the injury as a result of his decision to stand during the anthem, ugly to watch. Ill will towards another isn’t going to solve anything, and the lack of compassion shown by some in that moment was telling.

For the Orlando Magic though, there really is no good way to cut this. They have lost their most promising young player to a long-term injury, at a time when the stakes weren’t even that high. There is no championship to be won for them this season, and they’re already essentially guaranteed a playoff spot. The fear now, however, is that the path to a championship in the future just got longer as well.

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