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Magic president says team didn't bring Isaac back too soon

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Orlando Magic president Jeff Weltman said his team didn't rush Jonathan Isaac back from a previous injury before the forward suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Sunday's win over the Sacramento Kings.

"I can unequivocally say that he was not brought back too soon and that he’s followed the same protocol that every one of our injured players has followed since we've been here," Weltman told The Athletic's Josh Robbins.

Isaac initially suffered ligament damage to his left leg in a New Year's Day contest against the Chicago Bulls. He missed the ensuing 31 games before being activated for Orlando's restart schedule.

Weltman said the Magic were overly careful with Isaac.

"If we’re ever going to be criticized as to the timing of returning our players to play, it's at the other end of the spectrum," the executive said. "It's that we're too cautious, we wait too long and take too careful an approach."

The 22-year-old Isaac is listed as being out indefinitely. He reportedly left the NBA bubble on Monday for more tests. Isaac averaged 12 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.6 steals this season.

"I hate to use the word 'crushing,' but this is not an easy one to deal with," Magic coach Steve Clifford said.

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