The Orlando Magic are getting a massive boost to their starting lineup, as All-Star forward Paolo Banchero is expected to return later this week after missing 33 games with a right oblique tear, per ESPN. Banchero sustained the injury in Orlando’s fifth game of the season, a tough blow for a team that had high expectations after making the playoffs last year.
Banchero is expected to return in one of Orlando’s upcoming games, either Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves or Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Orlando managed to weather the storm nicely thanks to Franz Wagner’s performance on a nightly basis until he went down in early December also with a torn right oblique. Wagner was expected to miss at least four weeks, which means the Magic could be getting him back soon as well.
The return of Wagner may still be in the air, but getting Banchero back is a significant deal for a Orlando team that has been playing .500 basketball in their last 10 games. That’s to be expected when your two best players are out, and quite frankly, the fact that Orlando has managed to tread water over the last month without both Banchero and Wagner is an impressive feat.
Thanks in part to a weak Eastern Conference, the Magic sit fourth in the standings with a 22-16 record, and now that Banchero is back, they’ll stand to improve on that mark going forward.
Prior to Banchero’s injury, he had a strong start to the season. Five games is obviously a small sample size, but the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft put up a career-high 50 points in a win against the Pacers in late October. Banchero was averaging 29 points to start the season, and while that’s sure to change when he gets more games under his belt, he was in store for a career year before the injury. Assuming that he’ll be able to return to form with little issue, Banchero should be able to pick up where he left off in October.
