Your Thoughts Thursday: Isaac is the Former FSU Player Likely to Make NBA All-Star Game First

The 2018-19 athletic year is over for Florida State and the next month should be relatively quiet for the athletic department.

Traditionally, FSU has been known for producing a number of pro players, but more so in the NFL than the NBA. Last week, the Seminoles had two players selected in the 2019 NBA Draft and both are now members of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Assuming both forward Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Terance Mann make an NBA roster this coming season, FSU will have at least five former players in the NBA. With the 27th overall pick, the Brooklyn Nets took Kabengele, who became the third Florida State player in four years taken in the first round. His draft rights were traded to the Clippers, who used their second-round pick on Mann.

This week, we asked our social media followers which former FSU player in the NBA is most likely to appear in an All-Star Game first. Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac was the most popular pick with more than half the vote.

Isaac, a third-year power forward, earned 51 percent of the 129 votes and was followed by Kabengele, who earned 21 percent. Former guard teammates Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon earned 17 and 11 percent, respectively. There was one comment vote for Terance Mann.

Our Take
As usual, our followers got it right.

Jonathan Isaac, at 6-foot-10 and 210 pounds, has a unique skill set perfect for the modern game and still has plenty of muscle to gain. Isaac is already a very good defender and improved his offensive game significantly last season while helping the Orlando Magic make the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

After playing in just 27 games as a rookie, Isaac missed just seven games last season, finishing the season averaging 9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 0.8 steals per game. Isaac increased his field goal percentage from 38 to 43 percent, was an 81 percent shooter from the foul line and shot 33 percent from deep.

As Isaac gets more comfortable offensively, he should be able to easily average 15 points or more per game while being a force on the glass and around the rim. He’s already able to defend three different positions.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.