Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero's All-Star Case Burned By Injuries?

Paolo Banchero averaged 23.5 points per game before injuring his ankle. Can the Orlando Magic rookie still make a case for the All-Star team this year?

Jeremy Brener | Nov 23, 2022

Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero's All-Star Case Burned By Injuries? /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is highly anticipating No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero's return to the floor. It could come as early as Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers at home after missing the past seven games with a sprained ankle.

Before Banchero's injury, he was playing not just as the best rookie, but arguably one of the top players in the league. Averaging 23.5 points per game along with 8.3 rebounds warranted some All-Star consideration. But has that gone away with his absence? Not in the eyes of The Athletic's Sam Vecenie.

Assuming Paolo Banchero gets healthy soon after missing Orlando’s past seven games with an ankle injury, there is a genuine All-Star conversation to be had right now about him, something that rarely happens for first-year players. I can’t quite get there because I don’t necessarily know how much of his game is translating to winning basketball — he just turned 20, so you wouldn’t expect it to — but the conversation is reasonable, and he’s been the most impressive rookie of this season by a healthy amount due to his shot-creation gifts.

Obviously Banchero's absence hasn't helped his All-Star candidacy, but if he picks up where he left off and can stay off the sidelines, he'll have a decent shot at it.

Banchero would be the first rookie named an All-Star since Blake Griffin back in 2011 and just the eighth player to accomplish the feat since 1990. It's rare, but doable if Banchero continues along the trajectory he has started for himself in his career.

The Magic return to action Friday against the 76ers at home. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Published Nov 23, 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.