ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero will be out indefinitely after being diagnosed with a torn right oblique, the team said Thursday.
Banchero, 21, got hurt in the fourth quarter of the Magic’s game against the Chicago Bulls Wednesday. The Magic lost 102 to 99. Banchero scored 31 points in the game.
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Banchero, who was drafted by the Magic in the 2022 NBA Draft, started in five games for the Magic this season, averaging 29 points per game. He has led or tied the team in scoring three times. He’s also the fourth Magic player in franchise history to score more than 50 points in a game.
The team said Banchero will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, and how he responds to treatment will determine how he returns to play.
Prior to this season, Banchero missed only 12 games in his first two years in the NBA.
The Magic are 3-2 so far this season. They play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
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