Tag: Orlando Magic

Former Duke basketball star [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag]’s breakout NBA season will be on hold for the foreseeable future.

According to a Thursday night report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, Banchero will miss at least the next four weeks after he suffered a torn right oblique.

“He will be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks and return to play will be based on how he responds to treatment,” Charania wrote.

Banchero led the Orlando Magic to the Eastern Conference Playoffs last season, averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists en route to his first NBA All-Star nomination.

Through the first five games of his third year, it seemed like the former No. 1 overall pick had taken another step forward toward the upper echelon of basketball stars. He averaged 29.0 points thanks to his first career 50-point game, and he was on track for career highs in rebounds (8.8), assists (5.6), field goal percentage (49.5%), and 3-point percentage (34.4%).

The Magic play 16 games in November, so Banchero would need to return as soon as possible to be eligible for any end-of-season awards. Players must appear in at least 65 contests to make the All-NBA or All-Defensive teams, meaning Banchero could only miss 17 games before forgoing his chances.

Former Duke superstar [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag], now a forward for the Orlando Magic, had a career night against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.

Banchero put together his first 50-point game en route to a 119-115 victory, adding 13 rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks in 40 minutes.

Banchero made it clear he had his eyes on a special night from the opening tip. He scored 37 points in the first half alone, and he made 16 of his 26 shots and 15 of his 22 free-throw attempts for the night.

“I’m tired as hell,” Banchero said after the game. “But it was a hell of a game.”

“Felt like I was in an open gym back at home just working on my game,” he continued. “Every shot felt like it was going in and it’s a good feeling when you’ve got a day like that.”

Paolo’s career performance came in the fourth game of his third NBA season. The former No. 1 overall pick earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23 before earning his first All-Star nomination last year when he averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while leading Orlando to the playoffs.

It’s also worth noting, he’s doing this at just 21 years old.

In his second NBA season, [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag] increased his scoring average to 22.6 points per game, dished out 5.4 assists, and led the Orlando Magic to the playoffs in a dramatic seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So how could the former Blue Devil possibly set the bar higher in year three? He answered that question pretty quickly on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat.

Banchero scored 33 points, making four of his eight 3-point attempts, and grabbed 11 rebounds. The StatMamba account on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) pointed out that, once you had in his three assists without a single turnover, he joined NBA legend Michael Jordan as the only players to finish with that line in a season opener.

The Magic won the game convincingly as well, a 116-97 triumph to position themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Banchero wasn’t the only former Duke basketball alum with a dominant first game. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum scored 37 points in a double-double of his own as the defending champions beat the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.