Banchero (oblique) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Knicks.
Though he'll miss a 33rd consecutive game Monday, Banchero appears to be rapidly closing in on a return, as the Magic are now listing him on the injury report with "return to competition reconditioning" rather than with a torn right oblique. Banchero recently took light contact at practice, and once he gets some full-contact reps under his belt, he'll likely get the green light to play. After Monday's contest, the Magic have two days off before returning to action Thursday versus the Timberwolves.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Takes light contact at practice
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Banchero (oblique) was able to go through some light-contact work at Tuesday's practice, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Banchero remains without a firm timetable, to be clear, but he continues to progress towards a return in the near future. On Dec. 28, the Magic announced that Banchero has entered the "return to competition reconditioning" phase of his recovery.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Closing in on return
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The Magic announced Friday that Banchero has entered the "return to competition reconditioning" phase of his recovery from a torn right oblique, but he remains without a firm timeline to be cleared for game action, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports. "Just been doing a lot of rehab and a lot of ramping up, trying to get my body back to playing shape," Banchero said prior to Friday's 108-85 loss to the Knicks, when asked where he stands in his recovery from the injury he sustained Oct. 30. "Obviously, I had to sit 30-plus days without really doing much. So, I just had to kind of get my body back in that mode and I'm still in the process of that."
While Banchero's condition is seemingly improving, the star forward still has a few more checkpoints to hit in his rehab program before making his return to the Magic lineup. Notably, Reynolds relays that Banchero hasn't yet dunked the basketball nor taken part in 5-on-5 work since suffering the injury, though the 22-year-old has begun the process of getting himself back into playing shape following the long layoff. A clearer target date for Banchero's return may become available once he's been able to take part in full-contact practices.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Ramping up conditioning
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Coach Jamahl Mosley said Thursday that Banchero (oblique) is not yet doing contact drills but is ramping up his conditioning workouts, Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com reports.
Banchero hasn't played since Oct. 30 due to a torn right oblique. While the star forward will likely need to participate in full-contact practice before returning to action, he does appear to be progressing in his recovery. Until Banchero is able to suit up, Tristan da Silva and Trevelin Queen should continue to receive increased playing time.
Magic's Paolo Banchero: Participates in drills Friday
Rotowire
Coach Jamahl Mosley said Friday that Banchero (oblique) did some conditioning and ball handling drills during Friday's practice, Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com reports.
While Banchero's activity in practice is a positive sign of his progression through a torn right oblique, he'll likely remain sidelined for an extended period as he has yet to move on to contact drills. The star forward hasn't played since sustaining the injury Oct. 30, and a timeline for his return to game action is unclear. With Banchero and Franz Wagner (oblique) sidelined, Moritz Wagner, Jett Howard and Tristan da Silva should continue seeing an uptick in playing time.
Magic's Paolo Banchero: Tears oblique, out multiple weeks
Rotowire
Banchero was diagnosed Thursday with a torn right oblique and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Banchero had been listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Cleveland after he apparently suffered the abdominal injury in Wednesday's loss to the Bulls, but the star forward will now be headed for an indefinite absence after follow-up tests revealed a more serious injury than anticipated. Charania notes that a firmer timetable for Banchero's return will depend on how he responds to treatment, but fantasy managers can prepare for him to miss at least a month, and likely longer. The Magic don't have an obvious candidate to serve as a 1-for-1 replacement for Banchero, but his absence could open up more minutes for Jett Howard, Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Gary Harris and Cole Anthony. Starters Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter could also notice spikes in usage while Banchero is out of the lineup.
