Asimov is at his best when writing short stories, where ideas can shine while character and plotting take a back seat. Long form was always his weakness. Sorry to everyone who loves Foundation but those books are absolute dog-ass. Full of brilliant ideas, but still dog-ass.

And there are plenty of writers who do good science with good fiction. Hannu Rajaniemi, Alastair Reynolds, Cory Doctorow, William Gibson, Iain McDonald, and Kim Stanley Robinson just off the top of my head. I know there are plenty more.