Magic have already lost key player to significant injury

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Magic have already lost key player to significant injury

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Oct 24, 2026 2:12 PM ET

The Orlando Magic are off to a rough start of the season in the form of a significant injury to one of their most important players.

Forward Paolo Banchero suffered a high ankle sprain during Friday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. He is expected to miss four to six weeks due to the injury.

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero has sustained a low-grade right high ankle sprain, sources tell ESPN. This injury diagnosis typically carries a timetable of 4-to-6 weeks. https://t.co/GQ5jXREXXd
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 24, 2026

Needless to say, this is not how the Magic envisioned their season starting. Banchero had 14 points and six rebounds Friday before departing the game, though it did the team no good, as they were trailing by 26 through three quarters.

Not only is Banchero a centerpiece of the Magic, he is also a tone-setter, and has already demonstrated as much this season. He put up 35 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists in the team’s season-opening defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Magic are off to an 0-2 start, and will now be without Banchero for a month or more. Expectations for the team might need to be adjusted downward as a result unless some other players step up in a big way.

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