UPDATE: Per NBA insider Chris Haynes, Banchero will make his return Friday vs. the Bucks and not Thursday vs. the Timberwolves.
UPDATE: Banchero is officially questionable for Thursday, while Jalen Suggs (back) is out.
Paolo Banchero has only played in five games this season and has been sidelined since October 30 with an oblique injury, but the forward is nearing a return. Banchero fully practiced Wednesday and is expected to play in one of the Magic’s next two games, with this Friday vs. the Bucks being his likely return date, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Banchero started this season on fire before getting hurt, averaging 29.0 PPG in his five starts, including a career-high 50-point outburst vs. the Pacers. Franz Wagner played in all five of those games, but the wing ironically also suffered an oblique injury earlier this season and is currently sidelined without a timetable for return. Wagner and Banchero have both seen usage rates of 31% this season and, with Wagner out, Banchero should flourish as the Magic’s No. 1 option.
In the 74 minutes Banchero has played with Wagner off the court this season, Banchero has seen an enormous 41% usage rate and he is averaging 36.9 points per 36 minutes. Fantasy wise, Banchero has generated 1.6 FPTS per minute with Wagner off the floor.
Banchero should put up huge numbers until Wagner returns and his presence is going to naturally hurt all the other key Magic player’s roles. While Orlando will be getting Banchero back, Jalen Suggs has been diagnosed with a lower back strain. The guard is out Thursday and his return will depend on how Suggs responds to treatment.
Despite many key injuries this season, the Magic are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference at 22-16 and Orlando has a real chance to move up even higher in the standings with Paolo Banchero returning.
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