Orlando Magic power forward Jonathan Isaac talked about how far the team can go compared to last year after Sunday’s 104-99 home win vs. the Philadelphia 76ers (lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2024 Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs in seven games).
(via Orlando Magic):
“Definitely farther. I think our defensive identity is even more ingrained right now than it is last year, because we’ve had to rely so much on it. I think it’s just a perfect setup with P (Paolo Banchero) coming back, we’ll get Franz [Wagner] back soon, we’ll get J. (Jalen) Suggs back soon, to have that identity and to have that understanding as you go down the bench that every guy is believing that, ‘When I get in this game, I can affect it in a positive way.’ Sometimes you don’t get that when everybody’s healthy and guys aren’t touching the floor and they’re not getting minutes.
“But I think when those guys get back, and obviously there’ll be changes: Not playing as much, playing as much. It’s just a part of the league, but every guy will go, ‘When I get in the game, I have the opportunity to affect it in a positive way.’ And I think it sets it us up to have a really great run. But we take it one game at a time. We head into Milwaukee with that mindset that we owe them, and we go from there.”
