The Minister of Defense is Back!

[dsg2021]

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The Minister of Defense is back for the Orlando Magic. Using data from both his 2022-2023 season and his previous season of 2019-2020, here is a piece of advanced stats knowledge to show how Jonathan Isaac has earned the nickname.


In this current 2022-2023 season, the top five DRtg Leaders in the league include players like Steven Adams, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. They are doing it with DRtg figures from 106 to 107 where the lower the number the better (Criteria: Minimum of a certain number of minutes played).
There are no Magic players with a DRtg of 111 or lower so far this season. And ORL is a dismal 23rd in team defense rating.

In Jonathan Isaac's two games of the 2022-2023 season, he has compiled a DRtg of 95! He has often had the best DRtg of both teams' players to step onto the court in games.


So what exactly is DRtg again?

DRtg stands for Defensive Rating, and it is part of the efficiency metrics developed by Dean Oliver in his 2004 book Basketball on Paper. One way to look at Defensive Rating is in the way it estimates the number "Stops" a player makes while on the court. For Dean Oliver, he gets to the DRtg's final figure with formulas such as;

- Stops1 = STL + BLK * FMwt * (1 - 1.07 * DOR%) + DRB * (1 - FMwt)
- Stops2 = (((Opponent_FGA - Opponent_FGM - Team_BLK) / Team_MP) * FMwt * (1 - 1.07 * DOR%) + ((Opponent_TOV - Team_STL) / Team_MP)) * MP + (PF / Team_PF) * 0.4 * Opponent_FTA * (1 - (Opponent_FTM / Opponent_FTA))^2
- Stop% = (Stops * Opponent_MP) / (Team_Possessions * MP)

- DRtg = Team_Defensive_Rating + 0.2 * (100 * D_Pts_per_ScPoss * (1 - Stop%) - Team_Defensive_Rating)

Source for more reading: https://www.basketball-reference.com/about/ratings.html

DRtg is now used as an advanced stat by NBA teams, and can be found and tracked in the biggest NBA websites like NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com.


Is DRtg fair in a 2 game sample size though?

Well, let's look at a bigger sample size now. In Jonathan Isaac's previous played season, 2019-2020, Isaac played a big 30+ minutes per game in 18 games. In those high-minutes outings, his DRtg was 101. In the entire league, only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez from the same team (MIL) had a higher DRtg.

In the same 2019-2020 season, Isaac also played 12 games for a similar, impactful rotation role; the 20-29 mpg role. In those significant-part-of-the-rotation outings, his DRtg was 99. In the entire league, and you probably guessed who it was by now, only Giannis Antetokounmpo had a higher DRtg.

So maybe Coach Steve Clifford (now with CHA) once compared Jonathan Isaac to a defensive legend in Shane Battier for a good reason. Isaac is after all, the Minister of Defense.

[cedric76]

Many people will eat crows

Welcome back to this great and very clever player

[fendilim]

Glad to see JI back. Playing well is icing on the cake. Hopefully he can stay healthy.

I’m sure the next bad game he has, haters will talk too. Lol

[Husky1]

Glad to see JI back. Playing well is icing on the cake. Hopefully he can stay healthy.

I’m sure the next bad game he has, haters will talk too. Lol

He’s a game changer. It’s weird he has haters. He’s a model citizen.

[Skybox]

His impact is felt whenever he’s on the court, regardless of stats. His perimeter defensive effect needs to be game-planned for by any opposition. He’s much more than a ‘good defender’. He’s a disruptive force to any offensive scheme.

[fendilim]

Glad to see JI back. Playing well is icing on the cake. Hopefully he can stay healthy.

I’m sure the next bad game he has, haters will talk too. Lol

He’s a game changer. It’s weird he has haters. He’s a model citizen.

true.

Most of The hate isnt rooted with basketball.

[pepe1991]

Glad to see JI back. Playing well is icing on the cake. Hopefully he can stay healthy.

I’m sure the next bad game he has, haters will talk too. Lol

He’s a game changer. It’s weird he has haters. He’s a model citizen.

true.

Most of The hate isnt rooted with basketball.

Ehh.
Most of the "hate" , or whatever people perceive comes from fact that he is highest payed player on a team, who literally never plays basketball.

I mean let's be 100% honest about this: Franz Wagner, the nba sophmore, has played more min in nba than Jonathan Isaac, who is "playing" 6th nba season.

Just amount of money and time invested in him ,vs his durability don't match.

Look at John Wall. Whenever he plays his impact is noticable and he is brilliant passer. HOWEVER ,in 4 years he costed GDP of third world country and played 147 games. People "hate" him not because they think he suck, but because it's salary restricted league where he eats massive portion of salary. And doesn't play.

Now if you hate some athlete based on political stand than i don't know what to tell you
Highschool educated kids who were money projects whole their lifes based on their bodies, not their brains nor advanced minds.


I think most people just grew apathetic toward Isaac and his situation. it's impossible to care for player that didn't suit up for 2/3rds of all games since he entered nba. On top of that, he played, from January first 2020 to January 24th , 2023 - grand total of 3 games and 41 min.

We can debate how he looks, how his "debut" was, it's 10 min time, but i find it usless.
We can talk how his latheral mobility looks, but it's probably usless because he isn't 100% ready or that's just how "new" Isaac will look like.

I don't know. If i'm Magic menagment, i'm playing him whatever he can handle and trading him asap. In my personal opinion, i don't see how he can have healthy career given his trackrecord. So between accidents it's probably safer to get rid of him and make him somebody's else problem. And he will probably have some suitors . Hell... it seems like Ibaka still has suitors.

[basketballRob]

He’s a game changer. It’s weird he has haters. He’s a model citizen.

true.

Most of The hate isnt rooted with basketball.

Ehh.
Most of the "hate" , or whatever people perceive comes from fact that he is highest payed player on a team, who literally never plays basketball.

I mean let's be 100% honest about this: Franz Wagner, the nba sophmore, has played more min in nba than Jonathan Isaac, who is "playing" 6th nba season.

Just amount of money and time invested in him ,vs his durability don't match.

Look at John Wall. Whenever he plays his impact is noticable and he is brilliant passer. HOWEVER ,in 4 years he costed GDP of third world country and played 147 games. People "hate" him not because they think he suck, but because it's salary restricted league where he eats massive portion of salary. And doesn't play.

Now if you hate some athlete based on political stand than i don't know what to tell you
Highschool educated kids who were money projects whole their lifes based on their bodies, not their brains nor advanced minds.


I think most people just grew apathetic toward Isaac and his situation. it's impossible to care for player that didn't suit up for 2/3rds of all games since he entered nba. On top of that, he played, from January first 2020 to January 24th , 2023 - grand total of 3 games and 41 min.

We can debate how he looks, how his "debut" was, it's 10 min time, but i find it usless.
We can talk how his latheral mobility looks, but it's probably usless because he isn't 100% ready or that's just how "new" Isaac will look like.

I don't know. If i'm Magic menagment, i'm playing him whatever he can handle and trading him asap. In my personal opinion, i don't see how he can have healthy career given his trackrecord. So between accidents it's probably safer to get rid of him and make him somebody's else problem. And he will probably have some suitors . Hell... it seems like Ibaka still has suitors.

The Magic knew the extent of his injury when they signed him. They had the option to waive him before January 10th. I think part of the big plan when they signed him was to bring him back as slowly as possible and develop young players. If Isaac was back at the beginning of last season, we wouldn't have gotten Banchero.

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[Husky1]

[/quote]The Magic knew the extent of his injury when they signed him. They had the option to waive him before January 10th. I think part of the big plan when they signed him was to bring him back as slowly as possible and develop young players. If Isaac was back at the beginning of last season, we wouldn't have gotten Banchero.

[/quote]
Exactly, and they know if he stays healthy he will be on a steal of a contract. 17mill for a player of JIs caliber is way unders. Gotta give it to them for their patience, certainly a lot more shown than us on here lol

[fendilim]

He’s a game changer. It’s weird he has haters. He’s a model citizen.

true.

Most of The hate isnt rooted with basketball.

Ehh.
Most of the "hate" , or whatever people perceive comes from fact that he is highest payed player on a team, who literally never plays basketball.

I mean let's be 100% honest about this: Franz Wagner, the nba sophmore, has played more min in nba than Jonathan Isaac, who is "playing" 6th nba season.

Just amount of money and time invested in him ,vs his durability don't match.

Look at John Wall. Whenever he plays his impact is noticable and he is brilliant passer. HOWEVER ,in 4 years he costed GDP of third world country and played 147 games. People "hate" him not because they think he suck, but because it's salary restricted league where he eats massive portion of salary. And doesn't play.

Now if you hate some athlete based on political stand than i don't know what to tell you
Highschool educated kids who were money projects whole their lifes based on their bodies, not their brains nor advanced minds.


I think most people just grew apathetic toward Isaac and his situation. it's impossible to care for player that didn't suit up for 2/3rds of all games since he entered nba. On top of that, he played, from January first 2020 to January 24th , 2023 - grand total of 3 games and 41 min.

We can debate how he looks, how his "debut" was, it's 10 min time, but i find it usless.
We can talk how his latheral mobility looks, but it's probably usless because he isn't 100% ready or that's just how "new" Isaac will look like.

I don't know. If i'm Magic menagment, i'm playing him whatever he can handle and trading him asap. In my personal opinion, i don't see how he can have healthy career given his trackrecord. So between accidents it's probably safer to get rid of him and make him somebody's else problem. And he will probably have some suitors . Hell... it seems like Ibaka still has suitors.

[tiderulz]

The Magic knew the extent of his injury when they signed him. They had the option to waive him before January 10th. I think part of the big plan when they signed him was to bring him back as slowly as possible and develop young players. If Isaac was back at the beginning of last season, we wouldn't have gotten Banchero.

[/quote]
Exactly, and they know if he stays healthy he will be on a steal of a contract. 17mill for a player of JIs caliber is way unders. Gotta give it to them for their patience, certainly a lot more shown than us on here lol[/quote]
not so far. remains to be seen if this ends up being true

[VFX]

I’m glad he’s back.

That being said, we will see if he’s able to stay healthy long enough to help for the playoff run in the upcoming seasons.

[Max Power]

I’m glad to see JI back. He looks stronger than before. I’m hoping he stays healthy and turns into the player we all hope he does. If that 10 minutes is indicative of his level of contribution, we won’t be seeing much of Mo Bamba anymore.

As for his critics, JI is a good, and moral guy, being a man of faith is generally a pretty good thing usually. I hope he stays healthy and helps this team jump to contender status over the next couple years.

[Knightro]

The Magic knew the extent of his injury when they signed him. They had the option to waive him before January 10th. I think part of the big plan when they signed him was to bring him back as slowly as possible and develop young players. If Isaac was back at the beginning of last season, we wouldn't have gotten Banchero.

Stop it

There's no way on god's green earth the Magic gave a player a 4 year, 70M contract knowing he'd miss 2.5 seasons.

If they did, they shouldn't have their jobs.

He rehabbed slowly/had some setbacks and that's fine. Things happen. But don't pretend this was some sort of master plan. That is silly stuff.

[basketballRob]

The Magic knew the extent of his injury when they signed him. They had the option to waive him before January 10th. I think part of the big plan when they signed him was to bring him back as slowly as possible and develop young players. If Isaac was back at the beginning of last season, we wouldn't have gotten Banchero.

Stop it

There's no way on god's green earth the Magic gave a player a 4 year, 70M contract knowing he'd miss 2.5 seasons.

If they did, they shouldn't have their jobs.

He rehabbed slowly/had some setbacks and that's fine. Things happen. But don't pretend this was some sort of master plan. That is silly stuff.

I think the hamstring was unexpected but they knew the extent of his knee surgery. Also, who knows if they could've played him limited minutes last season. They chose not because the longer you have to recuperate they better your chances are to be fully healed.

I agree they probably weren't planning on two years, but I'm sure they were thinking 1.5 and then it evolved with the amount of risk and rewards of bringing him back early wasn't worth it

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[p0peye]

I was the person thinking next step in Isaac's career is medical retirement.

I am glad he is back and wish him only the health going forward. Any kind of 'hate' from my side is consequence of me coming to peace that he can't be counted on to stay on court, so much that mentioned medical retirement seem like a reasonable expectation.

[j_n]

Ehh.
Most of the "hate" , or whatever people perceive comes from fact that he is highest payed player on a team, who literally never plays basketball.

I mean let's be 100% honest about this: Franz Wagner, the nba sophmore, has played more min in nba than Jonathan Isaac, who is "playing" 6th nba season.

Just amount of money and time invested in him ,vs his durability don't match.

Look at John Wall. Whenever he plays his impact is noticable and he is brilliant passer. HOWEVER ,in 4 years he costed GDP of third world country and played 147 games. People "hate" him not because they think he suck, but because it's salary restricted league where he eats massive portion of salary. And doesn't play.

Now if you hate some athlete based on political stand than i don't know what to tell you
Highschool educated kids who were money projects whole their lifes based on their bodies, not their brains nor advanced minds.


I think most people just grew apathetic toward Isaac and his situation. it's impossible to care for player that didn't suit up for 2/3rds of all games since he entered nba. On top of that, he played, from January first 2020 to January 24th , 2023 - grand total of 3 games and 41 min.

We can debate how he looks, how his "debut" was, it's 10 min time, but i find it usless.
We can talk how his latheral mobility looks, but it's probably usless because he isn't 100% ready or that's just how "new" Isaac will look like.

I don't know. If i'm Magic menagment, i'm playing him whatever he can handle and trading him asap. In my personal opinion, i don't see how he can have healthy career given his trackrecord. So between accidents it's probably safer to get rid of him and make him somebody's else problem. And he will probably have some suitors . Hell... it seems like Ibaka still has suitors.

1. Hating someone because he's rich is just as silly, Did you expect him to insist on taking less money?

He didn't steal money or intended to get injured so while it's Ok to be frustrated about the situation, it's another to criticise him for getting hurt and taking long to recover, especially since its been hinted multiple times that if it was up to him he would have played sooner.

2. Most posters here were very excited to watch his return , this apathy you speak of seem like your own personal view.

[tooler]

No apathy here. JI’s return is the most excited I’ve been as a Magic fan since the last time I watched Franz and Paolo play basketball.

Wait, that’s not helping my point…

[swarlesbarkley]

Glad to see JI back. Playing well is icing on the cake. Hopefully he can stay healthy.

I’m sure the next bad game he has, haters will talk too. Lol

He’s a game changer. It’s weird he has haters. He’s a model citizen.

Why you gotta do that, Husky? I wanted to come in here (as one of the resident JI "haters" apparently) and talk about how he was super impressive in his return x2 and if he can knock down 3s at 40%+ on high volume our team is all of a sudden 1 decent guard away from contending. But now I have to point out that he's really only a model citizen to the predatory conservative christian crowd.

[basketballRob]

Come on people. We don't need to hear that he's a model citizen. We can say he's a good teammate or he does things for the community.

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