Paolo Banchero’s injury is a brutal break for the Magic

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I rewatched Garrett Wilson’s touchdown catch all morning and I’m not going to stop.

In today’s SI:AM:

A significant injury in the NBA

The return of the military to relevance

One of the NBA’s most promising teams suffered a major blow Thursday when it announced its star player will be out for at least a month.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been diagnosed with a torn oblique muscle, the team said will be sidelined indefinitely. He will be reevaluated in four to six weeks.

It’s a tough break for a team that entered the year hoping to build on a 2023-24 campaign in which it posted its first winning record in five years before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. Banchero was undoubtedly the biggest reason behind the team’s success. After winning the Rookie of the Year award in ’22–23, he was named an All-Star in his second season while leading the Magic in scoring, rebounding and assists. And through five games this season, he’s already shown he’s got top power as one of the game’s youngest stars. On Monday, the 22-year-old had 50 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in a four-point win over the Indiana Pacers, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to break 50 and the second- youngest player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game.

Banchero had been among the league’s most durable players through his first two seasons. He played in 72 games as a rookie and last year was one of 29 players to play at least 80 games while ranking fifth in the league in minutes played.

The loss of Banchero is a serious setback for a team that looked poised to take another step forward this season. Banchero and Franz Wagner are a premier duo, and Jalen Suggs is one of the best defensive guards in the league in addition to being a solid three-point shooter. The trio forms an impressive young core that should keep the Magic relevant for years to come. (At 23, Suggs is the oldest of the three.) And Orlando made some moves this offseason to keep some key players in place, re-signing Moritz Wagner, Gary Harris and Goga Bitadze.

The biggest move the Magic made, however, was signing veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year, $66 million contract. Not only is Caldwell-Pope a dangerous three-point shooter and a talented perimeter defender, but he gives the Magic something that last season’s team sorely lacked: championship experience. No team in the 2024 playoffs has had less postseason experience (as measured by cumulative career playoff games) than the Magic.

Only four Orlando players had appeared in a postseason game prior to last season: Harris, Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz and Joe Ingles. They played a total of 91 playoff games before last season (50 of them by Ingles, who is no longer with the team). Meanwhile, Caldwell-Pope has played in 62 career playoff games and won two championships (in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers and ’23 with the Denver Nuggets).

The signing of Caldwell-Pope was a signal that the Magic were ready to enter the top tier of the Eastern Conference. This was not just a promising young team full of budding stars, but an experienced team ready to be considered a true contender.

Banchero’s injury throws a wrench into those plans. Even if he misses the four-week minimum the team cited in its announcement, that’s still 15 games. A six-week absence would mean missing 21 games – a quarter of the season. The relatively new playoff format — which includes paths for 10th-ranked teams to qualify for the playoffs through the play-in tournament — provides a cushion for Orlando, but a team that finished fifth in the conference last year would be disappointed to have his fate determined by the tragedy of the game. The Magic will have to find a way to replace Banchero’s versatile production. Otherwise, his injury could mean Orlando will have to wait another year to reach his full potential.

… things I saw last night:

5. Kyrie Irving’s Missing Ringer at the end of the third quarter.

4. Ja Morant’s alley-oop while sitting on the floor.

3. Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin vs. Predators’ Jeremy Lauzon battle that ended with three vicious strikes from Podkolzin.

2. The Southern Nazarene final winning game screen to beat Ouachita Baptist. Southern Nazarene entered the game at 0–8 and went on the road to Ouachita Baptist, the No. 3 in Division II, and came away with an 18–17 victory.

1. of Garrett Wilson one-handed touchdown grab. His full extension was very reminiscent of another famous catch at MetLife Stadium.