Cavs: 3 players to watch in second 2019-20 game vs. Magic

Jonathan Isaac

Jonathan Isaac seems to have turned a corner in his third season.

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Isaac, firstly, is a big-time plus defender for the Magic on the perimeter.

He is fundamentally sound in most instances in primary defense against opposing ball-handlers on the wing, and though he does still need to get a bit stronger, he can still bother opposing bigs in some post matchups with his 7-foot-1 wingspan and impressive timing for a young player.

Isaac was tough matchup for the likes of Cleveland Cavaliers starting 3 Cedi Osman on the ball in the first 2019-20 meeting between these two, and it won’t be easy in the coming matchup from a scoring perspective for Osman, either.

The Cavaliers will need to set strong screens off the ball on Isaac, and move it in a crisp manner to free up Osman getting downhill.

On the offensive end, Isaac has really taken off. The game seems to have slowed down for him, as he’s currently putting up what looks to be a career year across the board.

He’s putting up a solid 13.1 points on 56.0% effective field goal shooting, to go with 7.1 rebounds, as noted by Basketball Reference.

Isaac has played mostly at the 3 this season, as opposed to the 4 mostly in his first two seasons. That’s seemed to open things up for Isaac, who is a slender 6-foot-10, but he does have a smooth handle at that size, and is playing with more confidence, especially when switched out on to true bigs, where Isaac can utilize his quickness.

He’s crafty when it comes to ball fakes and up-and-unders, is always dangerous in transition off run-outs and cuts well in settled situations, too. Isaac is also shooting 38.3% on catch-and-shoot three-pointers this season, according to NBA.com’s shot tracking data.

Isaac and guard Markelle Fultz seem to be developing a nice two-man game, too, and Osman and feasibly reserve wing Alfonzo McKinnie will need to be mindful of that.

Again, though, Cleveland needs to be well aware of Isaac as a disruptive defender. He’s third in the NBA in total blocks this season, as displayed by Basketball Reference. Along with that, Isaac is tied for the Magic team lead in steals per game with 1.4, as NBA.com notes.

Along with that, Isaac has a robust 3.0 deflections per game, according to NBA.com’s hustle statistics.

He had two blocks and a steal in the last Cavs-Magic meeting, as shown by ESPN; hopefully the Cavaliers don’t let his length wreak havoc in this one.

The Magic will not have 5 Nikola Vucevic in this matchup, though, due to a reported sprained right ankle, so that could feasibly open up the lane for Osman a bit. Again, though, Isaac will still be a player the Cavs’ offense needs to be mindful of as a defender both near the paint and on the perimeter.

On to another player to watch in this matchup.