Jonathan Isaac's comeback story has been sidelined again by another season-ending injury, this time a torn adductor muscle.
Isaac had surgery on Friday to repair the muscle and will miss the remainder of the regular season, the Magic said. He felt discomfort on his left side Tuesday after practice, and an MRI on Wednesday showed the severity of the issue.
He played in 11 games this season, after missing 2-1/2 years following a serious knee injury and other setbacks. And now, he faces another period of recovery and rehabilitation.
“Our thoughts are with Jonathan, whose fortitude in dealing with adversity is unique,” Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. “Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. We will be by his side as he focuses on the work ahead.”
The Magic did not release a timetable for Isaac's potential return to basketball activities, but there's no reason to think he won't be ready for training camp next fall.
“You watched a young man work his tail off to get back on the floor and my heart hurts for him," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Friday. “And our prayers continue to go out that he continues a healthy, speedy recovery — but more importantly, that he understands how much he's supported with this organization and the coaches and the players and the front office and how much we care about where he is right now."
Isaac averaged 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in his 11 appearances this season. He has appeared in 147 regular-season games since being taken with the No. 6 overall pick by Orlando in 2017.
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 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 didn't play in the NBA again until this January.
“He’s a resilient, faithful, strong young man that will, again, bounce back,” Mosley said.
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