As Jonathan Isaac fell to the floor during the third quarter of last Thursday’s game against the Wizards at Kia Center, the longest-tenured member of the Magic feared the worst.
Grabbing his left knee in pain, Isaac remained on the court for an extended period of time before he eventually got up on his own power and slowly made his way to the Orlando locker room.
It wasn’t until an MRI conducted that evening at the AdventHealth Training Center confirmed that Isaac had avoided a major injury and had only suffered a left knee sprain.
The night of the injury, he declined to speak with local media, but earlier this week, he shared his perspective for the first time.
“It sucked,” he told reporters in the locker room Tuesday night after the Magic fell to the Thunder. “It was tough. Based on what I felt, it was like an ‘Oh man, not again’ type of moment.
“So, I kind of just tried to manage my expectations when I (was) hearing from the doctor, but gratefully, they said it’s just a sprain, and that’ll be something I can come back from this season,” he added.
If anyone knows what a serious knee injury feels like in the moment, it’s Isaac. He previously missed 2 1/2 years because of various knee injuries, including a torn left ACL.
Even before his latest sprain, Isaac had already missed two games because of a sore left knee and one with a left knee strain. In 52 games this season, he’s averaged 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds during 10 minutes per night.
“Very, very, like you couldn’t imagine,” he said when asked how frustrating it is for him to deal with left knee problems again. “But we all got our own journeys, and this is mine.
“So, I’m just trying to handle it the right way, try to have the best perspective that you can have, given the circumstances, and be there for my teammates,” he added.
Isaac, who was wearing a left knee brace on Tuesday, was expectedly ruled out of Thursday’s road game against the Hornets, and it’s likely he won’t be available when LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers make their lone trip of the regular season to Kia Center on Saturday.
The Magic also learned Thursday afternoon that they’d be without starting center Wendell Carter Jr. at Charlotte due to a left rib mild contusion. That’s not to mention Anthony Black (left lateral abdominal strain) and Franz Wanger (left high ankle sprain injury management), who were already ruled out on the team’s initial injury report.
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As of Tuesday, Isaac hadn’t really started doing any major work towards an eventual return, mentioning he had only done some red light therapy and some slight movement.
Isaac said the focus was to take time to let the injury heal before starting to do more work sometime next week.
“I’m really glad it wasn’t something worse,” he said. “So, I just have to manage this sprain and get better. Just wait until it calms down a little bit with the inflammation and the pain, and then slowly work back.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic vs. Lakers
When: 7 p.m., Saturday, Kia Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida/NBA TV