Before the Orlando Magic's game with the Boston Celtics Monday night, it had been a while since we have seen forward Jonathan Isaac on a basketball court, over 900 days to be exact. After missing that much time, it would be understandable if Issac wants to play as much as he can, just for the feeling of playing competitive basketball again.
Unfortunately for Jonathan Isaac, the ramp-up in action will have to wait. According to head coach Jamahl Mosley, via the FantasyLand NBA Twitter page, Issac might be in Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers long enough to get a lather of sweat.
Mosley: Jonathan Isaac will be limited to 8-10 minutes on Wednesday.
— FantasyLabs NBA (@FantasyLabsNBA) January 25, 2023
Upon seeing this information, we have to keep in mind what Isaac has been through, just to return to action. He tore the ACL in his left knee during a game in August 2020, when the league was playing in the bubble due to the COVID pandemic. Isaac missed all of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, and half of this season, trying to rehab and strengthen the knee.
As Isaac admitted before his return, there were times where he wondered if it was time to give up, but he was able to persevere through those tough times, and the ovation the crowd at Orlando's Amway Center gave when he checked into the game was the payoff of that hard work.
Now, the challenge going forward is to stay healthy first and foremost. Then it's to find a spot in the rotation of a Magic team filled with young players. While it would be logical to believe Isaac wants to play and play a lot, the Magic want to bring him back slowly.
After the years of rehab, Isaac is probably just happy to be in this position.
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