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.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Tears oblique, out multiple weeks
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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.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Iffy against Cleveland
Rotowire
Banchero is listed as questionable for Friday's game versus the Cavaliers due to a right abdominal strain, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Banchero seems to have suffered an abdominal strain against Chicago and is in danger of missing his first game of the season Friday. If the star forward is ultimately ruled out, Jonathan Isaac and Jett Howard are candidates to receive increased playing time.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Pours in 31 in Chicago
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Banchero logged 31 points (12-22 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 5-7 FT), seven rebounds and four assists over 37 minutes during Wednesday's 102-99 loss to the Bulls.
One game after becoming the first player in the NBA this season to put together a 50-point performance, Banchero was dominant again as he led all scorers on the night. The third-year forward could be ready to rise to superstardom after being the first overall pick in the 2022 Draft, topping 30 points in three of five contests to begin the campaign while averaging 29.0 points, 8.8 boards, 5.6 assists and 2.2 threes.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Career-high 50 points vs. Indiana
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Banchero registered 50 points (16-26 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 15-22 FT), 13 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks and one steal over 40 minutes during Monday's 119-115 victory over the Pacers.
Banchero dominated in the first half of Monday's contest, finishing with a 37/7/6 line after 24 minutes. His production slowed down a bit in the third frame, but he paced the Magic in the fourth quarter and earned his 50th point on a free-throw attempt with less than a minute to play. Banchero had a couple of mediocre stat lines after a 33-point outing in the regular-season opener against the Heat on Oct. 23, but the 21-year-old showcased Monday why he was taken No. 1 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. Banchero and the Magic will hit the road to take on the Bulls on Wednesday.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Explodes for 33 points in opener
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Banchero notched 33 points (12-24 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal across 31 minutes during Wednesday's 116-97 victory over the Heat.
Banchero is looking to build on an excellent second season during which he received an All-Star nomination and helped the Magic make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. The double-double was an encouraging sign as the talented front man found double-doubles elusive last season. If he can keep the production going, he could easily exceed his season averages (22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds) from last year.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Limited to 17 minutes
Rotowire
Banchero tallied six points (3-6 FG), six rebounds, seven assists and a steal across 17 minutes in Wednesday's 107-97 preseason loss to the Spurs.
Head coach Jamahl Mosley had already stated that Banchero would play "around 16" minutes in this contest, so fantasy managers shouldn't worry about the low minutes. The Magic are trying to give Banchero enough reps to get him into a rhythm, but they're also taking care of him, as he figures to be the team's primary offensive option once the regular season begins. Banchero is likely to remain under a minutes restriction -- if he plays at all -- in the Magic's final preseason games before the regular-season opener against the Heat on Oct. 23.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Minutes limited Wednesday
Rotowire
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said that Banchero would play "around 16" minutes during Wednesday's preseason game against the Spurs, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Banchero played 22 minutes in Orlando's preseason opener, and he'll have his workload trimmed further Wednesday. Entering his third NBA season, Banchero is a budding superstar, so it's not surprising to see the Magic be a little cautious. Banchero appeared in 80 regular-season games last season, averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads Orlando in scoring
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Banchero finished with 15 points (5-7 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-6 FT), three rebounds and two assists across 22 minutes in Monday's 106-104 preseason loss to the Pelicans.
Banchero was one of two Magic starters who surpassed the 20-minute plateau in this preseason opener, and it was clear from the jump that he was going to be the team's primary threat on offense. That shouldn't be surprising, as Banchero is coming off a career-best season in 2023-24 in which he averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 35.0 minutes across 80 regular-season appearances. Banchero should continue to see steady minutes in the preseason ahead of the regular-season opener against the Heat on Oct. 23.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Fourth-year option picked up
Rotowire
The Magic announced Friday that they picked up Banchero's fourth-year team option for 2025-26.
Banchero has quickly established himself as one of the best young players in the league after averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 35.0 minutes across 80 regular-season appearances in 2023-24. Banchero is one of the cornerstone pieces of the Magic alongside Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Explodes for 38 points Sunday
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Banchero had 38 points (10-28 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 15-18 FT), 16 rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals in 42 minutes during Sunday's 106-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Banchero did everything in his power to keep the Magic alive in the playoffs, but even though his stat line was magnificent, the struggles of Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner were too much for Orlando to overcome, meaning Banchero couldn't carry the team to the next round on his own. Despite the early playoff exit, the series against the Cavaliers fully established Banchero as one of the league's up-and-coming superstars. He averaged 27.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals across 37.4 minutes per game.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Scores only nine points in win
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Banchero racked up nine points (4-14 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal across 29 minutes during Saturday's 112-89 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Banchero struggled to find an offensive rhythm and scored his fewest points since Nov. 29, but the Magic still evened the series at 2-2. The budding superstar averaged 25.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 37.0 minutes over the first three matchups of the opening-round series and scored in single digits only twice during the regular season.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Records double-double in Game 3 win
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Banchero closed with 31 points (13-26 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 14 rebounds, five assists and one steal over 29 minutes during Thursday's 121-83 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
There's no question that Banchero is the engine that keeps the Magic going on offense, and the star forward made his presence felt on both ends of the court Thursday, leading the Magic in both points and rebounds en route to a blowout win. Banchero has surpassed the 20-point mark in his three appearances in the series, averaging 25.3 points per game while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from three-point range.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leading scorer in Game 2 loss
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Banchero notched 21 points (9-20 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block over 41 minutes in Orlando's 96-86 loss to Cleveland in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series.
Banchero led all Orlando players in scoring while handing out a trio of rebounds and assists and swiping a team-high pair of steals in a losing effort in Game 2. Banchero has done all he can to help the Magic in the first two games of the series against the Cavaliers, surpassing the 20-point mark while recording at least three rebounds and steals in both outings.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads Orlando in victory
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Banchero registered 24 points (8-17 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 7-8 FT), six rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes during Sunday's 113-98 win over the Bulls.
Banchero surpassed the 20-point mark for the third consecutive game, and even though he failed to reach the 30-point plateau this time, he still posted an excellent overall performance, leaving his mark in the rebounds and assists columns. Banchero has scored 20 or more points in six of his last nine appearances, a span in which he's averaging 21.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Stuffs stat sheet Saturday
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Banchero closed Saturday's 118-88 victory over the Grizzlies with 13 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and four blocks across 30 minutes.
Wendell Carter turned heads with his impressive double-double, but there's no doubt Banchero made his presence felt on both ends of the court, racking up stats left and right. The second-year forward might have ended a streak of four games with 15 or more points, but Banchero remains extremely valuable in fantasy even in games where his shot isn't falling due to his ability to fill the stat sheet on both ends of the court.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Scores 23 points in loss Friday
Rotowire
Banchero totaled 23 points (8-18 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 6-7 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and two steals across 38 minutes during Friday's 100-97 loss to the Clippers.
Banchero couldn't carry the Magic to victory over the Clippers, but he delivered an impressive outing on both ends of the court. The All-Star forward has reached the 20-point mark in four of his last six appearances, and his role as Orlando's biggest piece on offense is set in stone, so he owns a pretty high floor most nights. He's averaging 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and a combined 1.3 steals-plus-blocks during March.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads Orlando to win Sunday
Rotowire
Banchero produced 29 points (11-16 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 3-6 FT), six rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in 36 minutes during Sunday's 111-96 win over the Raptors.
Banchero was extremely efficient Sunday, and even though his role as Orlando's go-to player on offense is not under question, his already-high fantasy value gets a sizable bump when he's shooting the ball this well. Banchero has quickly become a stat-filling machine as the season has progressed. He's averaging 23.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 rebounds per game since the beginning of March.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Leads charge in Wednesday's win
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Banchero registered a team-high 21 points (6-6 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 8-9 FT), three rebounds and nine assists across 35 minutes during Wednesday's 114-106 win over the Nets.
The Magic featured a well-balanced attack that saw all five starters, plus two bench players, score in double digits, but Banchero led the way. The reigning Rookie of the Year has topped 20 points in six of seven games since missing a couple contests in late February due to an illness, averaging 24.0 points, 6.4 boards, 5.7 assists and 1.3 threes over that stretch while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor.
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Magic's Paolo Banchero: Gets little help in loss
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Banchero produced 23 points (9-20 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 3-5 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, four blocks and two steals over 36 minutes during Friday's 98-74 loss to the Knicks.
The Magic's 74 points were the lowest by any team in the NBA this season, and Banchero was the only Orlando player to have much success at all against the Knicks' stifling defense. The 2022 Rookie of the Year made his own defensive impact as well, setting a new career high in rejections. Banchero has topped 20 points in five straight games since returning from a brief absence due to illness, averaging 25.6 points, 7.4 boards, 5.2 assists, 1.4 threes and 1.0 blocks while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.
