The Orlando Magic have confirmed that Magic forward Jonathan Isaac tore the ACL in his left knee during Sunday’s contest against the Sacramento Kings, the team announced.
In what was supposed to be a celebratory occasion and cleanup situation for Magic Head Coach Steve Clifford, shock and gloom would soon set over the aura of the bubble 9:19 seconds into the fourth quarter of Orlando’s second restart game.
Isaac was left in the game where some would debate he shouldn’t have been as the Magic were up by 28 points, and during a halfcourt set that saw Isaac set a down pick for fellow teammate Michael Carter-Williams that led to a dribble hand-off, Isaac received the ball in his shot pocket after a crisp right-handed zip pass from Carter-Williams and attacked DaQuan Jeffries’ closeout after MCW caused the Kings’ defense to collapse.
Isaac then took a simple hop step into the lane between two defenders, and his left leg visibly tweaked after it planted into the hardwood. All of his weight transferred into the lower part of his leg, causing him to lose the ball, collapse and writhe in pain.
As team doctors rushed to aid the second-year big man out of Florida State, Isaac had his head in his hands and was subsequently wheelchaired off the floor.
Multiple Magic teammates and personnel had an affect display of sheer dismay, visually unable to process the suffering of another crucial injury to their 6-foot-11, 210-pound teammate who had worked so hard to recover from his meniscus tear in the same knee sustained back on Jan. 1. against the Washington Wizards.
Now, a seminal part of the Magic’s core will not only have to sit out the rest of the restart in the bubble but presumably the 2020-21 season and beyond.
Isaac, who missed the rest of Sunday’s rout of the Kings, left the game with 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 15 minutes.
“That was tough, man,” teammate Aaron Gordon said in a postgame press conference. “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.”
This comes as a huge blow to Steve Clifford, General Manager John Hammond, and the Orlando Magic organization, considering that Isaac was to be a centric piece of the Magic’s efforts to craft together a playoff-qualifying roster.
It’s unclear whether or not they reach that potential in the next year or so with Isaac’s career outlook now abruptly altered due to his sudden history of lingering knee issues.
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