Paolo Banchero injury update: Magic star expected to return later this week after missing 33 games, per report
The Orlando Magic are getting a massive boost to their starting lineup, as All-Star forward Paolo Banchero is expected to return later this week after missing 33 games with a right oblique tear, per ESPN. Banchero sustained the injury in Orlando's fifth game of the season, a tough blow for a team that had high expectations after making the playoffs last year.
Banchero is expected to return in one of Orlando's upcoming games, either Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves or Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Orlando managed to weather the storm nicely thanks to Franz Wagner's performance on a nightly basis until he went down in early December also with a torn right oblique. Wagner was expected to miss at least four weeks, which means the Magic could be getting him back soon as well.
The return of Wagner may still be in the air, but getting Banchero back is a significant deal for a Orlando team that has been playing .500 basketball in their last 10 games. That's to be expected when your two best players are out, and quite frankly, the fact that Orlando has managed to tread water over the last month without both Banchero and Wagner is an impressive feat.
Thanks in part to a weak Eastern Conference, the Magic sit fourth in the standings with a 22-16 record, and now that Banchero is back, they'll stand to improve on that mark going forward.
Prior to Banchero's injury, he had a strong start to the season. Five games is obviously a small sample size, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft put up a career-high 50 points in a win against the Pacers in late October. Banchero was averaging 29 points to start the season, and while that's sure to change when he gets more games under his belt, he was in store for a career year before the injury. Assuming that he'll be able to return to form with little issue, Banchero should be able to pick up where he left off in October.
Injured Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero reportedly expected to return to court this week
Injured Orlando Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero is expected to return to the court this week, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
Per the report, Banchero will make his return either on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves or Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Banchero has been sidelined since Oct. 30 with a torn oblique that he suffered while playing against the Chicago Bulls.
Banchero has played in just five games this season and has missed 33. His is one of a rash of injuries to key Magic players, including an oblique tear that's sidelined breakout forward Franz Wagner 13 games and counting since Dec. 6.
Despite the injuries, the Magic are off to a 22-16 start, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
A third-year pro and the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Banchero made his first All-Star team last season and helped lead the Magic to their first playoff appearance since 2020. In the five games he's played this season, Banchero improved on his All-Star numbers across the board. Before his injury, Banchero was averaging 29 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 49.5% from the field and 34.4% on 6.4 3-point attempts per game.
Banchero returns to a Magic team that's in position to compete for a seed in the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket after earning the No. 5 seed and losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round last postseason. Wagner, meanwhile, remains without a clear timetable to return. His brother and Magic backup Moritz Wagner is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Magic's Paolo Banchero reportedly to return to lineup this week
It's been impressive — the Orlando Magic have gone 6-7 despite being without their two leading scorers and shot creators, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, both with a torn oblique (plus several other players being in and out with injuries).
That stretch is about to end — Banchero is set to return this Thursday against Minnesota or this Friday vs. Milwaukee, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Banchero went through a full practice on Wednesday and is more likely to be upgraded to questionable and return to play on Friday, according to the report.
The 2023 Rookie of the Year, Banchero started out hot in his third season, averaging 29 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists through his first five games before suffering his injury. That sidelined him for 33 games. Franz Wagner stepped up into that lead role on offense for 20 games, but then he suffered the same rare injury.
There is no timeline for Wagner's return.
The Magic's ability to keep their heads above water with their two stars out has them 22-16 and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, they are about to get their best player back. In the second half of this season, we could see a strong run from the Magic.
Orlando’s Paolo Banchero won’t play for a few weeks. The Magic see it as an opportunity for everyone
Paolo Banchero knew something was wrong. He was surprised to learn the extent.
The Orlando Magic All-Star will miss the next several weeks with a torn right oblique, an injury that happened in his team’s loss to Chicago on Wednesday night. The abdominal muscle injury was diagnosed Thursday, causing Banchero to miss the game Friday in Cleveland. The Magic take on the Cavaliers in a rematch of an Eastern Conference first-round series from last season.
“I felt it when it happened,” Banchero said Friday, speaking with reporters in Cleveland after Orlando’s shootaround. “Didn’t know what it was but knew it didn’t feel good. Just tried to play through it, wanted to get it looked at after the game, was hoping it wasn’t too bad but obviously it was a little worse than I thought.”
Banchero was off to a monster start — his 29 points per game ranked seventh in the league entering Friday. He’s one of only three players who started the day averaging that many points along with 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. The others: Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“It sucks. There’s no other way to put it,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “It sucks for him, the way in which he started this year, the way in which he was playing, the way he’s carrying us in so many ways. And in the same breath, you have to say it’s an opportunity — it’s an opportunity for guys to step up, step into their role, opportunity for guys to continue to play to our standard of basketball.”
The Magic said Banchero will be evaluated in four to six weeks. He referenced the six-week timeline. If he misses six weeks, that means he’ll be sidelined for at least 21 games. It would also mean he’ll almost certainly be ineligible for most end-of-season NBA awards voting under the new policies that went into effect last season.
“Hopefully, it’s not a multi, three-, four-month injury,” Banchero said. “Hopefully, it’s just six, something weeks. Just trying to stay engaged as much as I can and stay positive, take it one day at a time and be ready to come back.”
Banchero had a career-high 50 points on Monday against Indiana, the first — and entering Friday, still only — 50-point game in the NBA this season. The Magic said he was hurt in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game in Chicago. Banchero, who finished that night with 31 points, was still on the floor at the end of that contest.
He intends to travel with the team while sidelined, Mosley said. Banchero will be involved in some coaches’ meetings, giving the 2022-23 rookie of the year, No. 1 overall draft pick and first-time All-Star last season a chance to see the game a different way.
“It’s another opportunity for his growth,” Mosley said. “There won’t be as much physical activity going on, but it’ll be a mental version of it. His ability to be in some the coaches’ meetings, to see the game differently from that side of the floor, it’s an opportunity for his growth in that realm.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Reports: Magic's Paolo Banchero returning from torn oblique
January 8 - Orlando Magic star forward Paolo Banchero is expected to return to the court in either one of the team's back-to-back home games this week, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
Per multiple reports, Banchero will be upgraded to questionable to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday as he attempts to make his return to the court since tearing his right oblique on Oct. 30.
Should he sit out versus the Timberwolves, the Magic have a quick turnaround against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
Banchero was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, one day after he caused a bit of a stir on social media by saying that "the wait is almost over."
Banchero, 22, enjoyed a fast start to the season, averaging 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in five games.
He is contributing 21.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 157 career games since being selected by the Magic with the top overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Magic are 22-16 and holding onto fourth place in the Eastern Conference. That's been despite the absence of Banchero, as well as the Wagner brothers.
Franz Wagner, 23, has not played since suffering a torn right oblique in a 102-94 loss to the host Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 6. He leads the Magic in scoring (24.4 points) and assists (5.7) per game.
Older brother Moritz, 27, is averaging 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He tore his left ACL in a 121-114 defeat of the Miami Heat on Dec. 21 and is out for the remainder of the season.
--Field Level Media
