Orlando Magic Roster, Injury News 2017: Rookie Forward Jonathan Isaac Out Indefinitely Due to Ankle Injury
Jonathan Isaac's rookie season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) hasn't gone exactly as planned.
The Orlando Magic have announced that they have placed Isaac in an "injury rehabilitation and conditioning program" as he continues to deal with a nagging injury to his right ankle. He's going to be out indefinitely while he recovers.
The former Florida State University standout has been dealing with the injury since November and he has just returned to the court two weeks ago. However, Isaac only appeared in three games since then and now he's heading back to the sidelines.
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"It's really just about getting him where he's at his best and not yo-yoing him in and out of the games and having him re-tweak it," Magic head coach Frank Vogel said, according to NBA.com.
"He's got to get his strength in the ankle and strength in his legs with conditioning so that it's not an issue anymore," he continued.
Isaac is a solid player on the defensive end of the floor, but the Magic won't miss him much at this point in his career. Aaron Gordon should continue to see the bulk of the minutes at power forward, while Jonathon Simmons continues to start at small forward.
In the meantime, all Isaac has to do is to focus on getting healthy again.
"Just take my time, day-by-day. It's tough (being out). It takes time and trying to come back when it's not completely there (physically) is tough, so I just have to be patient and take it day-by-day," Isaac said, according to NBA.com.
Isaac has only appeared in 15 games this season, and he's averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 rebound and a block in under 19 minutes per game. He's also shooting 40.5 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.
