Magic’s Paolo Banchero sidelined indefinitely with oblique tear: How Orlando is adjusting

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 reevaluated 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 performed Thursday in Cleveland revealed the extent of the injury.

Banchero’s injury comes after he scored 50 points in the Magic’s win 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 leap this season starring Banchero, their leading scorer. Banchero’s absence could derail Orlando from securing a top-six seed.

Last season, when Banchero played in 80 regular-season games, the Magic finished with the East’s No. 5 seed.

Banchero, election no. 1 in 2022, is the key figure in a highly regarded young core 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 tight-knit roster, as well as the defense, which finished third in the league in points allowed per game. possession last season.

Durability has been one of Banchero’s strengths. He played in 152 of Orlando’s 164 regular-season games over his first two seasons.

How will Banchero’s absence hurt the most?

It’s hard to overstate how much Orlando depends on Banchero for its offense. For a 6-foot-10 power forward, Banchero is responsible for an inordinate amount of shot creation — not just for himself, but for others as well.

He is such a threat wherever he has the ball that opponents often collapse against him, leaving one or more teammates open. As important as Banchero’s 29 points per game are for Orlando, it’s also worth noting that Banchero has assisted on nearly 28 percent of his teammates’ shots this season, according to advanced analytics database Cleaning the Glass. That’s a sky-high assist rate for an NBA great and speaks to the gravitas Banchero creates, as well as his unselfishness, passing skills and court vision.

Even with all that Banchero offers, the Magic struggled to score in the half court last season. 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 role, and that role is sure to get bigger now. Suggs, nominally referred to as a point guard, will have to make a jump as a shot creator himself.

Is there a silver lining?

Um, mostly, no. Banchero is to well, and what makes this injury feel even more like a gut punch is that he looked 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 shouldn’t hurt the Magic much on defense (unless the Magic miss more shots and therefore give opponents more opportunities to push the ball upfield).

Coach Jamahl Mosley still has a wealth of defensive assets, 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 up (and getting shots up before opponents set their defense) more than they had when Banchero was healthy.

Mosley has plenty of options for his starting lineup. Maybe he wants to sub in Isaac as a starting power forward. Perhaps Mosley will bring sharpshooter Caleb Houston into the starting lineup to space the floor. Mosley could also move Carter to the four and start Goga Bitadze in the middle.

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(Photo: Jim Rassol / Imagn Images)