Orlando Magic wing Jonathan Isaac’s long-awaited return to the NBA is nearing an end after a lengthy rehab process.
Isaac will reportedly play Monday against the visiting Boston Celtics, his first game since he tore his left ACL on August 2, 2020.
That game was played at Walt Disney World as part of the bubble the league created to keep players safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He played in just two games in the bubble after initially injuring his knee in January 2020, and it will be 904 days between NBA games for the 25-year-old, who ended up missing all of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
Isaac, who had been practicing with the Magic since early December, recently played in three games for Orlando’s G League affiliate, averaging 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing more than 17 minutes a game for the Lakeland Magic.
In his last G League game on Wednesday he played 22 minutes, and he is expected to be on a minutes limit with the Magic as he works toward regaining his form and fitness.
Selected sixth overall by Orlando in the 2017 draft, Isaac appeared in 32 games in his last NBA season in 2019-20, and averaged 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots.
He will join a Magic team that’s 17-29 and in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last spot in the Play-In Tournament.