Orlando Magic will have move forward in 2019/20 without their 2017’s first-round pick Jonathan Isaac. The 22-old player tore his ACL in Sunday night’s 132-116 win against Sacramento Kings and is facing a lengthy break.
Isaac suffered the injury with 9:19 left in regulation while driving to the basket between two Kings’ players. He had a bad landing after a hop step and immediately fell to the ground grabbing his left knee. Up to that point, he had four points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Magic confirmed the nature of Isaac’s injury on social media, saying that the player will be out indefinitely and that his return to action will depend on how “he responds to treatment and rehabilitation.”
The appearance against the Kings was just Isaac’s second since January, as he only recently recovered from knee hyperextension that previously caused him to miss 31 games.
“That was tough, man,” said his teammate Aaron Gordon after the game. “That one brought me to tears, and instantly — just because I know how good of a guy J.I. is and how hard he works and how hard he has worked to get back since hurting himself in D.C. That was tough.”
Jonathan Isaac was Magic’s sixth overall pick in 2017. The 2019/20 shaped up to be his best season since turning pro, as he was averaging career highs in points (11.9), rebounds (6.8), assists (1.4), steals (1.6) and blocks (2.3) per game.
