When the Magic reviewed the film from their Wednesday night victory over the Heat, one player in particular received praise from Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley: Veteran forward Jonathan Isaac.
That’s because, although it was Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Anthony Black who combined for 80 points in the nine-point road win that snapped a four-game losing streak, Isaac changed the direction of the game with his defensive intensity.
In 17 minutes, Isaac racked up five rebounds, two blocks and steals. He scored just four points with three assists, but that wasn’t what he was asked to accomplish against Miami.
“We actually highlighted that [Thursday] in the film session,” Mosley said about Isaac’s performance at the shootaround before the Magic hosted the Raptors on Friday night. “The way he was able to come in and impact again with his defense. It wasn’t about scoring; it wasn’t about shooting the ball or anything else.
“It was about how he changed the game with his energy and his defense, and that’s what we’re going to need from all of our guys,” Mosley added.
While Isaac has developed a reputation over the years in Orlando as one of the team’s top defenders, he has fallen out of Mosley’s rotation as of late.
The 17 minutes he played Wednesday at Miami marked the most he had gotten since he played 10 against Brooklyn on Jan. 7. Isaac hasn’t played five times this season due to a coach’s decision, meaning he was a healthy scratch those nights. Three of those games took place this month (Jan. 2, 15 and 24).
Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio (0) is pushed back by Orlando Magic forwards Jonathan Isaac (1) and Tristan da Silva (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday in Miami. (Marta Lavandier/Associated Press)
But that hasn’t caused him to feel frustrated or confused by Mosley and the Magic coaching staff.
“I know that they’re trying to figure things out [and] Coach is trying to figure out what works, what doesn’t work,” Isaac said Wednesday night in the locker room at Kaseya Center in South Florida. “So I just try to be myself every time I get in there. My job is to work really hard, try to make it easier on the players around me and be a disruptor on defense.
“Anytime he puts me in the game, that’s what I’m going to give,” Isaac added.
The longest-tenured member of the Magic described it as a tough mindset to have at times.
“But I trust everybody in here,” Isaac said. “I trust every big that we have on this team [and] I trust the coaching staff to make the right decisions at the right time, so I just get in where I fit in. If my number’s called, that’s fun. But if it’s not, then I’m encouraging the guys that [are] on the floor.”
The Magic hope, when called upon, Isaac continues to remain stout on the defensive end when the team heads back on the road for its lone trip of the season to San Antonio on Sunday and Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
“You can always see the type of defensive talent that he is once he steps on the floor, and he showed it again,” second-year pro Tristan da Silva said about Isaac. “He helped us out big-time covering for us in the paint, especially rebounding, [and] crashing on the offensive glass. He was just playing with confidence out there, and you love to see it.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic at Spurs
When: 4 p.m., Sunday, Frost Bank Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida