ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Isaac is about to play basketball again, with the Orlando Magic saying Tuesday that he is set to play in a game with their G League affiliate.
It’ll be only the third game for Isaac in just over three years, primarily because of ongoing left knee problems. Isaac is scheduled to play for the Lakeland Magic on Wednesday in their home game against the Westchester Knicks.
Lakeland is about 55 miles southwest of Orlando. ESPN and The Orlando Sentinel first reported that Isaac was set for the next step in his long comeback.
Isaac originally hurt his left knee on Jan. 1, 2020 in a game at Washington. He returned and played two games in the bubble seven months later, blew out out his left ACL in the second of those appearances, had other setbacks along the way in recovery — including a right hamstring injury that required surgery last year — and hasn’t played since.
Orlando’s game at Portland on Tuesday night will mark the 238th time in the NBA team’s last 240 games that Isaac has not been able to play. But the G League game is a big step, and presumably one of the final steps, before he can return to the NBA.
“I know I’m supposed to play basketball for a reason,” Isaac told The Associated Press in October. “At each step, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel getting bigger and bigger. I know I’m going to play this season. It’s just a matter of when.”
Isaac was the No. 6 overall pick by the Magic in 2017 after one college season at Florida State. In 136 career games, all but 30 of them starts, Isaac has averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Magic.
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