The Orlando Magic’s
Magic draft picks Isaac, Iwundu play like nothing’s a given
two NBA Draft picks bring athleticism, quickness and an underdog mentality.
As recently as four years ago, Jonathan Isaac doubted he would became an NBA lottery selection.
He played well on the freshman team at Barron Collier High School in Naples, but he struggled a bit the next year on the varsity team.
He occasionally thought he would give up basketball.
So much has changed since then.
On Friday afternoon, the lanky 6-foot-10 forward glided into Amway Center as the newly minted sixth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
“I never thought it would get to this point,” Isaac said.
But it has, and he’s not complaining.
The Orlando Magic have pinned part of their future on him.
“I honestly think that Jonathan Isaac has as much talent as any of the guys that went in front of him,” said Jeff Weltman, the Magic’s president of basketball operations.
“Jonathan’s one of the types of players that kind of jumps out at you a little bit. When you see a guy with that size and agility and he moves the way he does, and then you see him give second effort[s] and hit shots and put the ball on the floor and be like a
“I thought I’d be one of those players that was just tall for nothing. But now I’m here and being tall has expanded my game.” Jonathan Isaac
team-first player who makes the easy pass, gets rid of the ball easily, plays with a team ego — those guys just jump out at you.”
Coach Frank Vogel said Isaac and the Magic’s second-round pick, wing Wesley Iwundu, should help.
“We have to get more athletic,” Vogel said. “We have to get quicker. And we have to get longer, quite frankly, if we’re going to improve on the defensive end. And we’ve done all those things with these guys.”
Iwundu played four seasons at Kansas State and averaged 13.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a senior.
“It’s just always been using the underdog mentality,” Iwundu said Friday. “Coming in with that mentality, I’ve been carrying that up until now, and it’ll continue.”
Even Isaac regards himself as an underdog.
Midway through high school, discomfort in one of his feet prompted a trip to the doctor. An exam revealed his growth plates were still wide open. The physician predicted Isaac would sprout to almost 7 feet tall.
Isaac initially thought the doctor was incorrect, and Isaac also didn’t think added height would change his game.
“I never thought that it would get to this point,” Isaac said. “I thought I’d be one of those players that was just tall for nothing. But now I’m here and being tall has expanded my game.”
His mindset started to change during a post-graduate year at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
He played in the Elite Youth Basketball League, and he competed against highly touted players that he had heard of.
Isaac gained confidence when he fared well.
At times during his lone season at Florida State, he seemed to regress into the background. But his coaches in Tallahassee said Isaac played unselfishly and made winning plays that don’t show up in box scores.
And now Isaac feels ready for the opportunity, and the burden, of being a lottery pick.
“I don’t think it’s something I’m worried about, because I’m kind of secure in myself,” Isaac said. “I know who I am and how I want to do this thing and how I want to be. With a lot of eyes on you, I have more responsibility, and you have to worry about carrying yourself the right way all the time. But I think I can handle it.”
Things sure have changed in just four years.
The player who once doubted himself finally realizes he belongs. jrobbins@orlandosentinel. com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/ magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.