When the Orlando Magic begin training camp in late September, they will do so in the hope that Jonathan Isaacs will be ready to return after being sidelined for the past two years.
Isaac seemed optimistic that he would be ready.
“I feel great, I’m doing really well,” Isaac said during an interview with Crane & Co in April. “I know I had complete hiccups in my right hamstring, but I feel great. I’m really looking forward to being able to come back and play next season. I’m all right.”
Isaac hasn’t played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the NBA “bubble” at Disney World on August 2, 2020.
He had recovered from a major left knee injury in January 2020 before tearing his ACL during the league’s restart.
Isaac missed the entire 2020–21 season due to injury before being ruled out for the remainder of the 2021–22 season in mid-March, at which time the Magic said Isaac was running out of time to ramp up his rehab in anticipation. Had been. To play
He has played in 34 of the 227 possible regular-season games since the start of the 2019–20 season.
“Our performance staff love to do long ramp-ups” [period] The return to the actual game and that includes a long period of unrestricted access,” said Jeff Veltman, Magic’s president of basketball operations, on March 15. Real expects this to happen now in the season.
Right after the team announced that he would miss the rest of the season, Isaac suffered a “minor right hamstring injury” during his rehab session, which required surgery.
The sixth pick in the 2017 draft, Isaacs completed a 4-year first season, signing with the Magic in December 2020 for a $69.6 million extension.
According to ESPNIsaac’s contract has an Exhibit 3 (pre-injury exclusion) clause and since he hasn’t played at least 25 games last season, the guaranteed portion of his remaining contract has been reduced.
Isaacs continues in rehab with hopes of returning for the 2022-23 season in mid-October – nearly 26 months after tearing his ACL.
When asked about the rehab process, Isaac said, “The biggest thing they look at is the games played and you haven’t played that long, but they don’t know the work that goes on day after day.” is.” “Careful grinding of all this. It just takes time. As fast as I want it to go, it’s just part of the process and the planning. Looking forward to returning next season.”
This article first appeared on orlandosentinel.com, email at cost [email protected] or follow him on twitter @khobi_price,
,
