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NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Jonathan Isaac is the key to everything

By Ian Levy

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 6: Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic speaks to Dennis Scott after the game against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 6: Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic speaks to Dennis Scott after the game against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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It’s easy to look at the Orlando Magic and forget about Jonathan Isaac. Aaron Gordon is the former slam dunk champion, a multi-talented, multi-positional, supremely athletic basketball player coming off career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, 3-point percentage, steals and free throw attempts. Mo Bamba is Orlando’s latest lump of clay, another insanely athletic basketball player who also happens to be a 7-foot rim-protector who just might be a 3-point shooter.

Admittedly, Gordon and Bamba are still mostly hypotheticals at this point but Bamba is a center, Gordon is clearly best at power forward and the shadows of their enormous wingspans have, to some degree, blotted out Jonathan Isaac.

Because of injury, Isaac played just 536 minutes last season. He’s just barely 21 years old and listed at 6-foot-10, but almost certainly measures out at 7-foot now. You can’t really add much more than that in the way of descriptors because, at this point, he doesn’t really have a defined position or role at either end of the floor. There are few definitives with Isaac but one of the few is his incredibly disruptive play at the defensive end.

The “find a shortlist of players who meet some obscure statistical benchmarks” game is a dangerous one but, through trial and error, I feel somewhat comfortable saying that players who can post steal and block percentages over 2.0 for a season are either incredibly effective defenders or talented prospects in the process of squandering enormous potential.

What then are we to do with the knowledge that Isaac made a list of just nine players in NBA history to play at least 500 minutes and post steal and block percentages over 3.0 for a season. It’s a confusing list to be sure. It features, Robert Traylor (the only other rookie to accomplish it), Jan Vesely and someone called Carey Scurry (the only player to accomplish it the feat twice). But the list also includes David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon, two transformational defenders, as well as Bobby Jones and Gerald Wallace.

Isaac’s Defensive Real Plus-Minus came in at +1.78 last season, an incredible mark for a rookie and the 14th-best mark for players listed as power forwards. So, in a small sample of minutes, the impact is clearly there. The versatility is as well — according to Krishna Narsu’s defensive position estimates, Isaac spent roughly 42 percent of his possessions defending wings and point guards last season (compared to about 33 percent for Aaron Gordon).

dark. Next. Meet the 2018 NBA 25-under-25

The future limitations of the Magic will largely be decided by what they can do with their backcourt, currently staffed by Evan Fournier and D.J. Augustin. But as far as this frontcourt goes, Isaac, looks like the most malleable. He has the potential to be an elite defender, this season, and a defender versatile enough to make the pairing with Bamba and Gordon work at that end of the floor. If this all plays out well for the Magic, it will be because Isaac is able to stretch his role.