Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is set to make his return to basketball with the team’s G-League affiliate after missing more than two years with an ACL injury, the NBA team said Tuesday.
The Lakeland Magic are set to take on the Westchester Knicks on Wednesday with Isaac set to take the court for the first time since tearing his ACL on Aug. 2, 2020 while playing in the NBA bubble near Orlando.
Wojnarowski reported that Isaac is likely to play two games with Lakeland before getting a look with the NBA squad. He has been practising with the team since December.
Isaac, 25, has only played in 136 regular season games throughout his five-year career that has been marred by injury. He has averaged 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
The sixth-overall pick from 2017 is a gifted interior defensive presence, last averaging 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals in 28.8 minutes per game during the 2019-2020 season.
The Bronx, N.Y., native was signed to a four-year, $69.6 million extension by the Magic in Dec. 2020 despite tearing his ACL in the months prior. He is currently on the second year of that rookie extension.
“I know I’m supposed to play basketball for a reason,” Isaac told The Associated Press in October. “At each step, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel getting bigger and bigger. I know I’m going to play this season. It’s just a matter of when.”
Orlando (15-26) currently has a plethora of options in their frontcourt, with rookie of the year front-runner Paolo Banchero leading the way. Additionally, the team has found success using two-big lineups with centres Bol Bol, Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba playing well for the rebuilding team.