Former first-round pick Jonathan Isaac has had an extremely difficult road in the NBA, going through a number of unfortunate injuries that have set back his career with the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately, some more unfortunate news emerged about Isaac on Friday.
Isaac returned back in back in January from a 904-day absence that dated back to the NBA Bubble in 2020. After 11 games this season, he will now return to the bench after an extremely unfortunate injury that will require surgery.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Isaac underwent surgery on Friday to repair a torn left adductor muscle that will end his season.
This comes after an MRI revealed the injury earlier this week.
ESPN Sources: Orlando Magic F Jonathan Isaac underwent season-ending surgery today to repair a torn left adductor muscle. Brutal setback for Isaac, 25, who played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. An MRI revealed the adductor injury on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/nkPMfszXPI
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 3, 2023
Isaac was once an extremely promising player for Orlando. His career is now once again in question, which the NBA world is extremely crushed by.
Have to feel for the young man 🤦🏽♂️ 🙏🏽 https://t.co/mZGlMnJgMs
— Greg Anthony (@GregAnthony50) March 3, 2023
I feel so bad for Jonathan Issac. The dude cannot stay healthy https://t.co/eIPKZRCnTr
— Ty Delbridge (@TyDelbridge) March 3, 2023
Man, this is brutal. https://t.co/y8bBN5uudN
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) March 3, 2023
This is just awful news…injuries suck https://t.co/XzrvIRDKEk
— Michael Walton II (@ZenMasterMike) March 3, 2023
This just sucks. https://t.co/UXisKZo7k1
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) March 3, 2023
I hope JI has a speedy recovery but I think it’s time for the Magic to move on. Dude just cannot stay healthy. https://t.co/hVXAKA5jQ3
— Kenny Morales (@KennyMoralesTV) March 3, 2023
Isaac is just 25 years old, so there is certainly a chance that Isaac can revive his NBA career in the future. However, it appears very clear that the Magic have largely moved on from Isaac being a centerpiece of their team.
The Magic have a solid young core of forwards in former Michigan player Franz Wagner and former Duke standout Paolo Banchero. With Isaac’s long list of injuries, it is unclear where he fits on the team moving forward.
Orlando will have a big decision to make about him this offseason. They have the opportunity to cut ties with Isaac and pay him only $7.6 million of his $17.4 million contract. This injury makes it far more likely that the two sides go their separate ways.
[Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter]
