Torn Oblique Sidelining Paolo Banchero Indefinitely

The Orlando Magic received some disastrous news on Thursday evening with the announcement that star forward Paolo Banchero will be sidelined indefinitely with a torn right oblique and re-evaluated in four-six weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Banchero is averaging 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 50 percent shooting on the season, and had a 50-point effort on October 28 against the Indiana Pacers.

The Magic, 3-2, will need Jonathan Isaac and Moritz Wagner to play solid minutes in Banchero’s absence. Isaac is a very capable defender. Franz Wagner (17.8 points) and Jalen Suggs (16.8 points) figure to take over in the scoring department.

In the midst of a five-game road trip, the Magic have three difficult games coming up, beginning with a visit to Cleveland on Friday to face the Cavaliers and a Sunday-Monday back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder.