Sidelined for most of his rookie season by an ankle injury, power forward Jonathan Isaac is on track to return for the Magic on Friday night against the Pistons, head coach Frank Vogel said today after practice (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel).
Isaac, 20, was selected sixth overall in the 2017 draft by Orlando and played a part-time role for the club over the season’s first month. However, a sprained ankle sustained on November 11 sidelined him until mid-December. Isaac appeared in three of five games after returning their action, then went back on the shelf indefinitely due to that nagging ankle issue.
In total, Isaac has appeared in just 15 games so far this season, averaging 5.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 19.0 minutes per contest. Viewed as a raw prospect with upside, the former Florida State standout isn’t expected to be an immediate difference-maker for the Magic, which is probably good news for a club currently tied for the league’s worst record. Assuming he’s healthy going forward, Isaac should get a chance to play regular minutes down the stretch without Orlando having to worry that he’ll single-handedly drag the team to a few extra wins.
With Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja already earning plenty of minutes at the four, it remains to be seen how Vogel and the Magic will use Isaac down the stretch. While he figures to be on a minutes limit at first, Isaac may end up playing alongside Gordon or Hezonja in order to get regular playing time during the season’s final few weeks.