LOOK: Magic No. 1 Pick Paolo Banchero Limping After Win vs. Kings

The No. 1 pick appeared to suffer an ankle injury.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 9, 2022

LOOK: Magic No. 1 Pick Paolo Banchero Limping After Win vs. Kings /

After a big win against the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero was seen limping in the Thomas & Mack arena.

Magic rookie Paolo Banchero walked away from his postgame interview with a noticeable limp and asked to see a trainer, who tended to his ankle. pic.twitter.com/cUsUnUC0L2
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 9, 2022

Banchero scored 23 points after playing nearly 35 minutes during Saturday's game.

Banchero scored most of his points early on in the game, but found more success from the free throw line than the field, making 11 of 15 from the charity stripe.

There to complement Banchero in the scoring department in the first half was Admiral Schofield, who was second on the team in points with 14, all of which came before halftime.

The more Banchero shows in Las Vegas, the more he proves that he probably doesn't belong in Summer League. He looks like the No. 1 pick and it will be intriguing to see how much his game translates to the NBA level for the upcoming season.

However, this injury could signal the end of Banchero's run in Vegas. His sore ankle could be just a routine checkup after a hard-fought game with the most minutes he's played in a long time or it could turn into something bigger. Fellow lottery picks Jaden Ivey, Shaedon Sharpe and Jeremy Sochan have also suffered injuries and seen their Summer League showcase cut short. If the Magic want to play it safe, Banchero may be added to the list.

The Magic will play next on Monday night against No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m.

Published Jul 9, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.