After one of the best weeks of his young career, Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic is reportedly going to be sidelined indefinitely.
On Monday, Banchero had one of the best games of his young career, putting up 50 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in a win over the Indiana Pacers. He followed that up with 31 points in Wednesday’s 102-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls, when Banchero suffered the torn oblique in the final quarter. Not coincidentally, he shot 2-for-7 in the fourth after starting the game 10-for-15.
Now, the Magic will be without their leading scorer (29 points per game), leading passer (5.6 assists) and second-leading rebounder (8.8 boards) for at least four-to-six weeks. Banchero has also been Orlando’s main source of free throws, attempting 42% of the team’s attempts, more than three times as many as his closest teammate, Wendell Carter Jr.
That means Orlando is going to have to find offense from someone else. That might be Franz Wagner, who scored nearly 20 points per game last season, though he’s battling an illness now. It could mean additional minutes for 2023 lottery pick Jett Howard, who has played sparingly so far but might have the most scoring upside among Orlando’s reserves.
But the player who may see the biggest uptick in his playing time and usage is another second-year player, guard Anthony Black. While Jonathan Isaac will likely slide into Banchero’s starting power forward slot, Black represents more offensive juice. He’s second on the team with 21 assists, and he’s taking shots off the dribble twice as often as last season.
It’s a crushing loss for an Orlando team looking to build on last season’s No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. There’s no guarantee Banchero will be back soon, even after his injury is re-evaluated, and the team has to find new ways to score. For a player who was taking a giant step forward, this injury is a big step back.
