Philip Rossman-Reich here, the host of the daily Locked On Magic podcast, with your daily Locked On Magic newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Magic and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Orlando Magic’s season is not over after Paolo Banchero’s injury
Oct 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) defends Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images|David Banks/David Banks-Imagn Images
The news hit like a ton of bricks Thursday evening.
Paolo Banchero is out indefinitely with a torn right oblique. The team will re-evaluate him in 4-6 weeks. Meaning we will not even really hear much about Banchero until the beginning of December. The best hope is that Banchero will be back on the floor around Christmas.
That is the cold reality. The Magic are looking at a minimum of 16 games before they get an update on Banchero and very likely two months without their superstar on the floor.
The question then is what happens next? Is the season really over?
The answer to that should be unequivocal: No. The Magic still should expect to make the Playoffs.
The team’s goals do not end just because Banchero is out of the lineup. They become harder to achieve and the margin for error decreases, but the end goal does not change. And the Magic have all the tools to stay in the Playoff race.
Orlando’s identity starts with its defense. And while Paolo Banchero has taken some major steps as a defender, he is still one of the weaker links in the chain.
Jamahl Mosley was more upset following Wednesday’s game with his team’s defensive effort in the second and third quarters than the offensive futility in the fourth quarter (undoubtedly partly caused by Banchero’s injury now that we have that context).
The team leans on its defense. And the Magic should still have one of the best defenses in the league. That will not go away.
The change will come on offense. Orlando will need to rely on more movement and have players like Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs take on more playmaking and creating. They will have to be the engines for this team.
For Wagner, he has taken on that role at various times but never for an extended period. Banchero has been extremely durable in his first two seasons. All the attention will be on him now.
The same will be for Suggs. He was given a bigger role as a playmaker and has improved dramatically as a shooter. Now he has to take on the same role he had in his first year as an attacker. Some of those guardrails will come off.
Ultimately, this period without Banchero will force a lot of these players to grow and take on new roles. It will push them out of their comfort zone and force them to improve or tell the Magic their limits.
That will be valuable when Banchero returns. The team must get better.
But they also need to win. They need to keep pace and keep the ship steady.
It is not without precedent.
Joel Embiid missed 31 games last year and his Sixers went 11-20, but he returned and the Sixers rallied to win 47 games – the same as the Magic. In the process, Philadelphia saw Tyrese Maxey emerge as a star.
Embiid is a far more established star than Banchero. But if Orlando can stay in the Playoff picture when Banchero returns, the team has plenty of time to make a push up the standings.
The question is whether the Magic can win. With the talent on the roster they absolutely can. The season is far from over.
As someone who just celebrated a birthday — a milestone birthday — I’ll admit that aging has been on my mind. Its privileges, its gifts, its expectations and assumptions (especially for women), aging can feel overwhelming, particularly wrought, even if you’ve made relative peace through the years with it.
Much of my writing is concerned with the nuances around basketball and its athletes, particularly the elements that underscore them as people. Strange to call “humanity” a nuance, but that can be the flattening of pro sports. Athletes aging is something larger fandom is pretty bad at processing, to the point where, in the NBA, anyone over 28 is considered long in the tooth and anyone over 35, ancient. The churn of the Draft, with its college phenoms and untapped prospects, makes it so we have a continually replenishing assembly line of young athletes ready to oust the old, often in a way that we don’t actually witness. Very few NBA athletes announce their retirements or make their exits from the league public, they just sort of… vanish, and with them goes our public consciousness of them.
In his postgame presser on Wednesday night, after the Warriors had beat the Pelicans for the second time on a two day back-to-back, Draymond Green touched on aging. Well, not explicitly, but his lengthy answer when asked about his impactful defensive efforts throughout Golden State’s first five contests was telling. Namely, because he brought up two of the youngest centers in the league, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Preview The Cavs host the Magic tonight at 7 p.m. Check out the players to watch for, injury reports, and how to tune in.
Ranked The Ringer ranked how “all-in” each NBA team is based on their draft score and money score. The Magic came in the middle of the pack at No.16. (The Ringer)
Must Watch Every NBA player knows about The Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City. Pablo Torre needed to know more, so he sent two reporters out to stay at what’s dubbed OKC’s “most haunted hotel.”
Feel Good They’re all kids at heart. Check out how players from around the league celebrated Halloween. (ESPN)
Must Read Pure talent, or being good in the room? Inc. looks at how certain personality types are affecting roster decisions in the league.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Paolo Banchero Injured - The Fantasy Basketball Fallout
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) defends Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half at United Center.|Photo by David Banks-Imagn Images
As we dive into the latest NBA action, the fantasy landscape is ever-changing, with injuries and unexpected performances shaping our strategies. The recent news of Paolo Banchero’s injury is a significant blow for both the Orlando Magic and fantasy managers. Banchero is set to miss four to six weeks due to a torn abdominal muscle, which means a reevaluation around mid-December. This absence leaves a gaping hole in the Magic’s lineup, and the question remains: who will step up?
Orlando Magic’s Lineup Dilemma
The obvious choice might be Jonathan Isaac, but his limited minutes due to health concerns make this uncertain. Isaac’s potential is undeniable, yet his ability to sustain a starting role is questionable. Mo Wagner has been suggested as a possible fill-in, but his experience at power forward is limited. The Magic might opt for a more unconventional approach, possibly pushing Franz Wagner to the four and utilizing a three-guard lineup with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black. Black, although not a high scorer, could contribute across various categories, making him a viable fantasy consideration.
The situation is fluid, and while Wendell Carter Jr. should be a priority add if available, the rest of the lineup remains a puzzle. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on the Magic’s rotations in the coming games to identify any emerging trends.
Click the button below to see who should be on your waiver radar, plus the fantasy impact of Desmond Bane’s injury for Memphis.
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