Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is expected to miss at least a month with a torn right oblique, the team confirmed on Thursday. The 2022 No. 1 overall pick will be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks, and his return to play will depend on how he responds to treatment, the team said.
Banchero was originally listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he will now be out indefinitely after the severity of the injury was discovered.
On Monday, Banchero put up the first 50-point game of the 2024-25 season, adding 13 rebounds and nine assists in a 119-115 win over the Indiana Pacers. The 21-year-old became the second-youngest player in NBA history (after LeBron James) to put up a game of at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
An All-Star last season, Banchero was off to a tremendous start in his third NBA campaign, averaging 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists on 50% field goal shooting as Orlando got off to a 3-2 start. As the focal point of the offense and primary playmaker, Banchero's absence will severely diminish an offense that has averaged 112 points per 100 possessions so far this season. The Magic will turn on Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs to make up for Banchero's production.
Orlando was one of the league's biggest success stories last season, going from 34 wins in 2022-23 to 47 wins and the No. 5 seed. They were eliminated in seven games by the Cavaliers in the first round.
The Magic are expected to be in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture once again this year, but that task becomes much more difficult the longer they have to play without their budding superstar in Banchero.
