Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero warms up before the game against the Denver Nuggets. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Paolo Banchero can fix Magic's biggest issue

Originally posted on Orlando Magic on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Dec 20, 2025 8:42 AM ET

The Orlando Magic have been dealt a difficult but familiar hand so far this season.

Last year, both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were dealing with injuries, and that has persisted in the 2025-26 campaign. Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes highlights this as the biggest problem the Magic are currently facing.

"As soon as one of the Orlando Magic's two star forwards gets healthy, the other one goes down. That was the case last year, when Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner alternated injuries and spent just 40 games on the floor together, and it's how this season is shaping up as well," Hughes wrote.

"In Banchero's second game since returning from a groin strain, Wagner went down with an ugly injury to his lower left leg. Aside from the obvious issue of preventing the Magic from having all their best players on the floor at the same time, this give and take has a way of turning success into a kind of failure.

"We just saw it happen as Orlando performed well during Banchero's absence, when all fans and pundits could talk about was whether the Magic were actually better off without the former No. 1 overall pick."

Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Magic cannot find ways to stay healthy

This has been a theme for the Magic over the past several years, and it is part of the reason why the team has not broken the seal into being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Luckily for them, it is still very early in the season, and there's still plenty of time for Banchero and Wagner to share the floor together.

In the meantime, the Magic need to find ways to stay in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. They were able to do that with Wagner, but now it's time for Banchero to prove that he can carry the team in his teammate's absence.

The Magic are back in action tonight as they take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET inside the Delta Center. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.