Among the current players, who has the biggest if? Among the new generation of players, there are two in the Magic team. One is Fultz, whose talent is gradually disappearing, and the other is Isaac, a defensive gate destroyed by injury. Both men were still in the first draft, and Isaac was the No. 6 pick that year.
As for how bad Isaac was before he was injured, and how many injuries he suffered over the years, we mention it almost every time we write about Isaac. He played just 147 games in the first six seasons of his career, with a two-year gap of not playing at all, and returned last season after only 11 games.
20-23 years were spent entirely on injury recovery for Isaac. Before the 19-20 season, he averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game before a cruciate ligament injury, briefly cashing in on his talent before he collapsed.
It can be said that only the second year of his first six seasons was relatively healthy. With such a frequent injury history, the Magic still gave him a good contract, and during his recuperation, there were never any trade rumors about him, and the Magic have always regarded Isaac as a part of the future, which has to be guaranteed by a strong talent floor.
This season, after Isaac regained his healthy body, the Magic's protection of him was simply frenzied. Prior to today's game, Isaac was averaging just 14.9 minutes per game and started just one game in 49 games this season.
Isaac is averaging 7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, and he remains one of the league's best defenders in terms of defensive efficiency per minute. It's just that he may not be able to play too long now, and Magic's protection of him is also one thing.
In today's game against the Kings, Isaac played his best game of the season. played less than 4 minutes in the first quarter, shot 4 of 5, 1 of 1 three-pointers, and got 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 block, plus or minus +7.
In the first quarter, he made up for Xiao Sa's block, which fully reflected how terrifying his ability to help defend was. The moment the opponent passed to Xiao Sa, Isaac started from the three-point line one step away, Xiao Sa received the ball and turned around to dunk, Isaac had come to the basket. Covering the sky and the sun, he gave Xiao Sa a hat.
Isaac scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the half, and he successfully ate under the basket many times, and even hit two three-pointers. In the last quarter, he was 3 of 3 again, and even broke through the big pull rod, and the audience praised him as MVP. Isaac was 10-of-13 in the game, with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal, the strongest game of the season.
The defense of this ball is really what he should have been at his prime. In the interior line, he was able to play against Xiao Sa's body and when he switched to a guard like Monk, he was able to keep up, either blocking or seriously interfering with the opponent's shooting. Although the Magic ultimately lost, Isaac's plus/minus of +26 was the highest in the game.
He scored 25 points and played only 23 minutes, a game with both scoring efficiency and defensive efficiency, but it was already the first few games of his playing time this season, and most of the time, the Magic only gave him about 15 minutes. It's not because he doesn't deserve it, but he's really scared.
If Isaac can stabilize his time averaging about 25 minutes per game, the Magic's defense will take it to the next level. But at the same time, there's no guarantee that Isaac's scarred knee will hold up, so it can only slowly increase.
Isaac has been able to defend from the No. 1 position to the No. 5 position since he first entered the league, and his interior and exterior defense are top-notch, and he is still the height of a center. There are not a few such people in the entire alliance, but maybe there is such a thing as a jealous talent.
When Isaac played like he did today, the most regrettable thing is that he could have been so good all the time.