Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero OUT vs. Bulls; When Will He Return?

Paolo Banchero has missed the last four games for the Orlando Magic, and he's expected to miss a couple more.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 18, 2022

Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero OUT vs. Bulls; When Will He Return? /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic has played without No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero for the past four games, and life without him will continue Friday against the Chicago Bulls. Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel was the first to report the news.

Banchero sprained his ankle in last Monday's game against the Houston Rockets and missed the last four games of the team's homestand, where the team finished with a 2-2 record.

Not only will Banchero miss Friday's game, but he did not travel with the team to Chicago, meaning he will miss the team's entire three-game road trip.

The Magic hopes that Banchero can return to the court as soon as possible, and the soonest he can rejoin his teammates comes one week from now when Orlando returns home to face the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Magic has struggled offensively in Banchero's absence. His 23.5 points per game is sorely missed in Orlando, a mark that led all rookies. Chuma Okeke and Bol Bol have been the primary players filling in at the power forward position in his absence.

Given the fact that Banchero holds a lot of future capital moving forward for the Magic, the team wants to be cautious with him as he navigates his first professional injury.

The Magic and Bulls tip off tonight at 8 p.m. at the United Center.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Magic? Click Here.

Follow The Magic Insider on Facebook.

Follow The Magic Insider on Twitter.

Published Nov 18, 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.