All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, one of the NBA’s rising stars, has suffered a torn right oblique muscle and will miss an extended period of time, the Orlando Magic announced Thursday night.
Team officials said Banchero will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks. He suffered the oblique injury during the fourth quarter of the Magic’s loss Wednesday night in Chicago, and tests conducted Thursday in Cleveland revealed the extent of the injury.
Banchero’s injury comes after he scored 50 points in the Magic’s victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
His injury is a potentially crushing blow to the up-and-coming Magic, who reached the first round of the playoffs last spring and were poised to make another jump this season with Banchero, their leading scorer, in the lead role. Banchero’s absence could derail Orlando from securing a top-six seed.
Last season, with Banchero playing in 80 regular-season games, the Magic finished with the East’s No. 5 seed.
Banchero, the 2022 No. 1 pick, is the key figure in a highly regarded young nucleus that includes forward Franz Wagner, guard Jalen Suggs and a deep bench. With Banchero out, the Magic will have to rely on scoring from Wagner, Suggs and the rest of their tightly-knit roster as well as the defense, which finished third in the league in points allowed per possession last season.
Durability has been one of Banchero’s strengths. He played in 152 of Orlando’s 164 regular-season games during his first two seasons.
How will Banchero’s absence hurt most?
It’s difficult to overstate how much Orlando depends on Banchero for his offense. For a 6-foot-10 power forward, Banchero is responsible for an inordinate amount of shot creation — not just for himself but also for others.
He’s such a threat wherever he has the ball that opposing defenses often collapse toward him, leaving one or more teammates open. As important as Banchero’s 29 points per game are to Orlando, it’s also necessary to note that Banchero has assisted on nearly 28 percent of teammates’ made shots this season, according to the advanced analytics database Cleaning the Glass. That’s a sky-high assist rate for an NBA big, and it speaks to the gravity Banchero creates and also to his unselfishness, passing ability and court vision.
Even with all that Banchero offers, the Magic struggled to score last season in the halfcourt. Through Wednesday, Orlando ranked a much-improved 15th league-wide in points scored per possession. Now, that improvement will be tested.
Wagner already plays a significant playmaking role, and that role is certain to increase now. Suggs, who is nominally referred to as a point guard, must make a jump himself as a shot creator.
Is there any silver lining?
Uh, for the most part, no. Banchero is that good, and what makes this injury feel even more like a gut punch to the Magic is that he appeared poised to improve on his All-Star season a year ago.
But the Magic are, more than anything else, a defensive-oriented team. While Banchero is an underrated defender, his absence should not hurt the Magic much on defense (except if the Magic miss more shots and, therefore, give opponents more opportunities to push the ball upcourt).
Coach Jamahl Mosley still has a multitude of defensive riches, including Suggs, Wagner, wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, forward Jonathan Isaac, big man Wendell Carter Jr. and reserve guard Anthony Black.
The Magic will have to lean on their defense even more than they have in the past and, perhaps, emphasize pushing the ball upcourt (and getting shots up before opponents set their defenses) more than they had when Banchero was healthy.
Mosley has plenty of options for his starting lineup. Perhaps he’ll sub in Isaac as the starting power forward. Maybe Mosley will bring sharpshooter Caleb Houstan into the starting lineup to space the floor. Mosley also could shift Carter to the four and start Goga Bitadze at center.
(Photo: Jim Rassol / Imagn Images)
