Paolo Banchero vows to stay ‘engaged’ with Magic during injury

Paolo Banchero knew one thing was improper. He was shocked to study the extent.

The Orlando Magic All-Star will miss the following a number of weeks with a torn proper indirect, an damage that occurred in his staff’s loss to Chicago on Wednesday evening. The belly muscle damage was identified Thursday, inflicting Banchero to overlook the sport Friday in Cleveland.

“I felt it when it occurred,” Banchero mentioned Friday, talking with reporters in Cleveland after Orlando’s shootaround. “Did not know what it was however knew it did not really feel good. Simply tried to play by it, wished to get it checked out after the sport, hoped it wasn’t too dangerous however clearly it was a little bit worse than I assumed.”

Banchero was off to an enormous begin — his 29 factors per recreation ranked seventh within the league coming into Friday. He is one among solely three gamers who began the day averaging that many factors together with 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists. The others: Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“It sucks. There is not any different strategy to put it,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley mentioned. “It sucks for him, the best way wherein he began this yr, the best way wherein he was taking part in, the best way he is carrying us in so some ways. And in the identical breath, you need to say it is a possibility — it is a possibility for guys to step up, step into their position, alternative for guys to proceed to play to our normal of basketball.”

To make issues worse for Orlando, heart Wendell Carter Jr. was scratched from the lineup simply minutes earlier than Friday’s recreation as a consequence of tendinitis in his proper knee.

The Magic mentioned Banchero can be evaluated in 4 to 6 weeks. He referenced the six-week timeline. If he misses six weeks, meaning he’ll be sidelined for no less than 21 video games. It might additionally imply he’ll nearly actually be ineligible for many end-of-season NBA awards voting underneath the brand new insurance policies that went into impact final season.

“Hopefully, it isn’t a multi, three-, four-month damage,” Banchero mentioned. “Hopefully, it is simply six, one thing weeks. Simply making an attempt to remain engaged as a lot as I can and keep optimistic, take it in the future at a time and be prepared to come back again.”

Banchero had a career-high 50 factors Monday towards Indiana, the primary — and coming into Friday, nonetheless solely — 50-point recreation within the NBA this season. The Magic mentioned he was harm within the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s recreation in Chicago. Banchero, who completed that evening with 31 factors, was nonetheless on the ground on the finish of that contest.

He intends to journey with the staff whereas sidelined, Mosley mentioned. Banchero can be concerned in some coaches’ conferences, giving the 2022-23 Rookie of the 12 months, No. 1 draft decide and first-time All-Star final season an opportunity to see the sport a unique approach.

“It is one other alternative for his development,” Mosley mentioned. “There will not be as a lot bodily exercise happening, however it’ll be a psychological model of it. His potential to be in some the coaches’ conferences, to see the sport otherwise from that facet of the ground, it is a possibility for his development in that realm.”