Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero will be sidelined indefinitely.
The Magic announced that Banchero suffered a torn right oblique in the Magic’s 102-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Banchero will be reevaluated in four to six weeks, but no timetable has been set for his return.
Banchero’s injury halts a historic start to his season. Through five games, the 21-year-old averaged 29 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in 36.4 minutes of play.
He scored 33 points and had 11 rebounds in the Magic’s 116–97 season-opening win over the Miami Heat, joining Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady as the only players in franchise history to score 30-plus points and pull down 10-plus rebounds in a season opener. Banchero then dropped a career-high 50 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in the Magic’s 119-115 win over the Indiana Fever, becoming the youngest player since LeBron James to score 50-plus points and record 10-plus rebounds and five-plus assists in a game.
Banchero, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft, was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for 2022-23 and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. He then earned his first All-Star nod last season.
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