Magic’s Jonathan Isaac: ‘I’m closer than I’ve ever been’ to playing again

Jonathan Isaac is eager to play again.

Ask him how he’s feeling or a general question about returning to the floor, and he’ll make sure to let you know he feels “fantastic” as he continues to work his way back from a two-plus-year absence.

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“I’ve been playing [5-on-5] the last few weeks and just getting in shape,” Isaac recently told the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m still getting there. But in terms of body, knees and hamstrings, everything is great. I’m just not in game shape.”

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Being in game shape, Isaac says, is the next major step he needs to take before he can return.

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He said he’s been playing full court 5-on-5 with the coaching staff when the team is in Orlando — when all of the coaches are available — for the last two weeks.

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac watches from the bench during an Oct. 11 game against Memphis. (Charles King / Orlando Sentinel)

When the team has been on the road, Isaac said, “It’s really just an individual workout of me playing 1s, running on the court, just continuing to try to get me tired.”

The individual workouts have often been the case, with six of the Magic’s first eight matchups to start the season being road games before the ongoing seven-game homestand that continued with Monday’s matchup vs. the Houston Rockets at Amway Center.

“The only step is continuing to get in shape,” Isaac said. “We played the other day and I was gassed. Obviously, I haven’t done it in a long time; continuing to get in shape and playing 5-on-5 four times a week. Just being able to run up and down and get in shape is what I’m focused on right now.”

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Isaac missed the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons and hasn’t played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the NBA bubble on Aug. 2, 2020 — meaning it’s been more than 26 months since he’s played in an NBA game.

He had just recovered from a major left knee injury in January 2020 before tearing his ACL during the league’s restart and has played in 34 of 238 possible regular-season games since the start of the 2019-20 season.

Going that long without consistently playing competitive basketball against other elite athletes makes it even harder to get back into game shape even when physically fit.

Playing NBA games while not being in game shape can make a player more susceptible to injuries — the last thing Isaac and the Magic want for him.

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“You take it for granted when you’re already in game shape and have been playing so much,” Isaac said. “To finally get to the point where we’re like, ‘Yes, we’ve reached this marker, everything is clear. The [doctor] says everything is good; you’re good to start ramping up.’ And it’s like, ‘I’m so excited for it,’ but now that I’m going through it and being gassed out every day I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ I forget how hard it is to get in shape. That’s what I’m focused on. I just can’t wait for when it’s my time.”

While understanding he has to stay patient, Isaac wants to be out there.

He isn’t sure when he’ll start traveling with the team on road trips or when he’ll return, saying, “I foresee myself in the next few weeks continuing to get more in shape and being more integrated with the team.”

He added: “If it’s me, it’s always sooner than later. In my mind, I’m like, ‘Yo, I can play 10 minutes.’ But at the same time, I get it. They want it to be the last go-round and be fully in shape. I don’t have to get on the court worrying about being tired. I don’t have to get on the court worrying about anything else other than just playing ball. I’ve got to get to that point and when I am, I’ll be ready.”

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac runs out to greet students during the Pick, Read & Roll event for Orange County Public School students at Amway Center on Nov. 4. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

Isaac, the sixth pick in the 2017 draft, is entering the second year of a 4-year, $69.6 million contract he signed with Orlando in December 2020 — four months after his ACL injury.

Because he didn’t play last season, his $17.4 million salaries for the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons became partially or non-guaranteed because of an Exhibit 3 (Prior Injury Exclusion) clause in his contract, according to ESPN.

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He’s guaranteed $16 million for 2022-23 (fully guaranteed $17.4 million if he’s on the roster past Jan. 10, 2023), $7.4 million for 2023-24 (fully guaranteed $17.4 million after Jan. 10, 2024) and has a fully non-guaranteed salary for 2024-25 (fully guaranteed $17.4 million if he’s on the roster past Jan. 10, 2025).

Isaac is further along in his return-to-play process than he was before the lone setback in his rehab — a right hamstring injury he suffered in mid-March that required surgery.

He participated in half-court contact drills with coaches for “a little while” before the hamstring injury but hadn’t progressed to full-court contact — a key step in the rehab process.

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac watches his team play from the bench during their final regular NBA season game at the Amway Center last season. (Tomás Diniz Santos/Orlando Sentinel)

Isaac was hopeful he’d be able to return late during the 2021-22 season after Markelle Fultz returned from his torn left ACL on Feb. 28, but that didn’t come to fruition. The Magic ruled Isaac out for the remainder of last season on March 15 before he suffered the hamstring setback.

“Honestly,” Isaac said, “pretty much just ran out of time because I was getting toward the place they were like, ‘Now it’s time to start ramping you up,’ but at that time when Markelle was ready to play, there wasn’t going to be enough time for me to get actual games in. So they were like, ‘We’ll shut it down,’ and obviously I had the hiccup with my hamstring.

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“We weren’t at the place where they were like, ‘We can ramp up now.’ We were still a little bit of time out. In my mind, I’m like, ‘I can push, I can push, I can push,’ but obviously continuing to want to do it the right way. I really feel like I’m in a good place now. Not having reservations about my body — jumping, bumping, dunking, all that stuff. I feel great and just need a few more weeks to get there.”

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Isaac has appreciated the Magic’s patience throughout the process. It helps that he’s starting to see the “light at the end of the tunnel” in terms of playing an NBA game again.

“The one thing on my mind is I’m closer,” Isaac said. “I’m closer today than I was yesterday. Guys are getting to see me run up and down and play a little bit, and they’re excited, too. I’m closer than I’ve ever been. I’m going to get there sooner rather than later.”

The sooner he’s back in game shape, the quicker he’ll be back on the floor.

“I can’t drive that point home enough — it’s really just about getting in shape right now,” Isaac said. “I have no reservations about my legs and they don’t either.

“In their minds, they’re like, ‘We want to get you to a place where we can say how many minutes you can play and you play them to the best of your ability and not have to worry about being tired.’ I’m like, ‘Shoot, I’m OK with being tired,’ but they want me to be where I need to be. I’m trusting the process and keep it moving.”

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.