Orlando Magic

Having held on to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference despite not having Paolo Banchero for more than two months, the All-Star is poised to make his return to action this week.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Banchero is expected to be upgraded to questionable on the injury report, with his return likely to happen on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Banchero hasn't appeared in a game since Oct. 30 when he suffered a torn oblique muscle.

The injury halted what was an incredible start to the season for Banchero. He scored 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting in a 102-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls in the game he was injured.

Through the first five games of the season, Banchero averaged 29.0 points on 49.5 percent shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per start. He scored a career-high 50 points in a victory over the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 28.

Banchero was the first Magic player to score at least 50 points in a game since Tracy McGrady in 2004.

When Banchero went down, there was a lot of concern about how the Magic were going to score enough points to keep their head above water until he returned.

Franz Wagner stepped up huge to fill the void with the best stretch of his career immediately after Banchero went down. He averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds in 20 games before suffering his own torn oblique muscle on Dec. 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Magic have put together a respectable 6-7 record in 13 games without Banchero and Wagner, including wins over the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. Their 22-16 record overall is fourth in the East, 2.5 games behind the Knicks for the No. 3 seed.

Banchero's return will significantly help an Orlando offense that ranks 26th in rating and 30th in points per game.

Orlando will begin a three-game homestand on Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by a Bucks game on Friday and a Sixers game on Sunday.

Orlando Magic forward Moritz Wagner reportedly suffered a season-ending ACL tear, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

He suffered the injury in the first quarter of Saturday's matchup against the Miami Heat.

It's a huge blow for a Magic team that was already shorthanded, with Paolo Banchero missing nearly the past two months with a torn oblique and Franz Wagner also sidelined with the same injury.

That means Orlando is now without three of its top four scorers. Moritz Wagner was averaging 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game off the bench as Orlando's sixth man.

"We're all praying for him. This one was for Mo," center Goga Bitadze told reporters after Saturday's 121-114 win. "It's really bad to see one of our brothers go down. Like we've been saying, 'Next man up.' But this guy deserved better than this."

"I call him a one-man army," he added. "We were all playing for Mo. You look at the crazy numbers he's had this season. Sixth man, definitely."

With Orlando facing this many injuries, the onus will now fall on Jalen Suggs to carry a large load on offense. He's been solid on that end, averaging 16 points and 3.9 assists per game, but the absence of the Wagner brothers and Banchero means the Magic are missing out on an average of 66.3 points per night.

That level of production is basically impossible to replace. And while the Magic gotten off to a solid 18-12 start to the season, the current rash of injuries threatens to impact their postseason hopes—and at the very least, their seeding—significantly.

Granted, Banchero is progressing in his rehabilitation, though he isn't doing contact drills yet. But his eventual return will be huge, while Franz Wagner is out indefinitely but hasn't officially been ruled out for the season.

So for now, the Magic are left to tread water until Banchero is back, hoping that Suggs can lead the offense and that the team's strong defense will carry them through this rough patch.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner is out indefinitely with a torn right oblique suffered during his team's 102-94 road loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

It's a devastating blow for the Magic, who have already been without All-Star Paolo Banchero for all but the first five regular-season games due to a torn right oblique.

Wagner has enjoyed a phenomenal season, helping the 16-9 Magic sit third in the Eastern Conference thanks to his 24.4 points, 5.7 assists, 5.6 rebounds per game. He had averaged 31.7 points per game over his last three contests.

He and Banchero were one of the NBA's best duos in the early going, as the 2022 No. 1 overall pick had 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in his five games.

Banchero doesn't have a timeline for a return quite yet, but he did offer some encouraging updates on Dec. 1, per Mason Williams of Magic on SI.

"I'm feeling good, man," Banchero said. "I finally got to do some court stuff on this trip at practice – some ball handling, some spot shooting. It felt really good just to do that stuff again because I literally hadn't done anything in a month. It was my first time really getting to dribble a ball, shoot a ball, so [it] felt really good doing that.

"Obviously wasn't any sprinting or cutting or anything, but hopefully in the next few weeks, I can start getting into more of that and just work my way back into playing shape," Banchero added.

In the interim, the Magic will need to play without both of their star forwards, which is a tall task for a team whose offensive production revolves around those two.

Jalen Suggs (15.5 PPG), Moe Wagner (12.8 PPG), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (8.3 PPG) and Anthony Black (8.0 PPG) will certainly be called upon to provide more offensive production. The same goes for rookie Tristan Da Silva (7.1 PPG), who has been starting in place of Banchero. Jett Howard is also an obvious candidate to see more playing time.

The Orlando Magic may not be the most popular team among other NBA general managers at the moment.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that the Magic's five-year, $224 million extension with Franz Wagner last summer made other team's believe Orlando had "inflated" the market for "young extension-eligible players."

In July, eyebrows raised across the league when the Magic signed Franz Wagner to a five-year, $224 million full max contract. Despite helping lead the Magic to their first playoff berth in four years, Wagner shot just 28% from 3-point range last season and his 11-of-42 shooting over the past three games of the Magic's playoff series was fresh in the league's mind. Some GMs who were negotiating rookie contract extensions with their own players at the time complained to ESPN that the Magic had inflated the market even as the new salary rules applied pressure to stop handing out as many max deals. One top agent told ESPN he'd even prepared his young extension-eligible players for a "recession" over the summer because of teams' fear of the new rules. Wagner's contract flew in the face of all of that.

While others around the leagues had some concerns, Windhorst reported that the Magic had no hesitation to extend Wagner and that future salary cap growth will make this a strong value deal.

As for the Magic themselves, sources said, they didn't hesitate with the offer because they love Wagner's work ethic and character, plus his physical tools. And they pointed to his free throw shooting, 85% for his career, as an indication his jump shot would round into form. There was one other factor. The salary cap is projected to jump 30% over the next three seasons as new television money phases in, and the Magic believe Wagner's salary number will have a different look once that happens.

Wagner averaged 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 72 games while leading the team to the postseason for the first time since 2019-20. Orlando viewed keeping the core of Wagner and Paolo Banchero in tact as an important one and so far that is paying off this season.

Wagner is averaging 23.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists through 17 games so far in 2024-25 and has helped the Magic get off to a 10-7 start to the season. Orlando is currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and appear to be headed towards another playoff berth.

Orlando currently has $20.4 million in tax space so Wagner's contract isn't putting the finances in a major bind. This, combined with a likely increasing cap, means that a contention window appears to be open for the Magic.

After an outstanding start to the season, Paolo Banchero suffered a torn oblique that has left him sidelined since the end of October.

Per Andscape's Marc J. Spears, the Orlando Magic star is hoping to return in about a month or so.

"Personally — this isn't from the medical team or anything — but the way I feel, I think [I'm back] before Christmas," Banchero said. "So maybe that's a week before. A couple of days before. Now, if it's around that time, Arnie (Kander) says, 'Man, no way. You can't go,' then I'll listen. But if he gives me the green light, then I'm going to do it for sure."

Through the first few seasons of his career, missing time has been a rare occurrence for Banchero. He played 72 games in his rookie year and missed just two games a season ago.

"I just miss the show. I just miss the league. I miss the games, being out there on the court, in the arena," he said. "Having the ball on my hands, just hooping, talking s--t. Sitting there watching the game is cool, fun and I'm always engaged and cheering and trying to help guys out, and lead and coach. But there is only so much I can do sitting in street clothes. I can only say so much, clap so many times. I just want to go out there.

"I don't know how guys do that. I really don't because it drives me crazy just being on the bench. But you got to do it. That's been the hardest part, just having to sit there every game."

Banchero, who averaged a career-high 22.6 points per game along with 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists a year ago, looked prepared to make another leap in his third year before the injury. Through his first five games, he put up 29 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.

He had a pair of 30-point outings in that stretch along with a career-high 50 points against the Indiana Pacers just one game before the injury.

The Magic have managed to stay afloat with their star, sitting at 9-7 on the year. They went on a six-game win streak earlier in November before losing to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Playing decently well without Banchero is a good indication that Orlando will be in playoff form upon his return, which could be just a month away.