Isaac returns to practice
Orlando forward took a significant step Thursday in his recovery from a sprained right ankle.
Isaac participated in most of the Magic’s practice — his first practice since he suffered his ankle injury on Nov. 11.
“Today, honestly, the practice felt like any other,” Isaac said. “I feel like I’m picking up where I left off. I honestly feel even more confident.”
Isaac has missed 16 consecutive games because of the sprain.
In the 12 games he’s played, he distinguished himself on defense because of his smarts, length and agility.
The Magic have missed his versatility.
But the team shouldn’t expect too much from Isaac too soon. Because he had an ankle injury, he lost some of his conditioning.
Asked how Isaac looked in practice, coach
responded, “A tired young man. He looked good. He looked healthy. Obviously, his conditioning is pretty far behind. But we look different with him out there, and we’re eager to get him back.”
The next step will be to see how Isaac’s ankle responds to Thursday’s practice.
Team officials have listed him as questionable to play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. Magic rookie
Gordon had hoped to play in Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, but he didn’t complete the protocol before tipoff.
“It’s difficult with concussions,” Gordon said after practice Thursday. “You never know when symptoms are going to react or come back. I was really frustrated, man. I was real down I wasn’t able to compete last night … and really help my team get that. I was really frustrated. But Frank gave me some good advice: just to be patient, don’t let the process get me anxious. That’s right up my way of thinking, method of thinking. So he was just really able to break through me.”
Gordon said he felt some grogginess Wednesday.
On Thursday, he said he felt fine.
“I’m taking it day-byday,” he said. “I feel good right now, though.” to