Paolo Banchero said he first started feeling discomfort in the first quarter.
On one play, Desmond Bane fell and rolled into Paolo Banchero's right leg. Banchero told Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel that his ankle turned inward.
Banchero said he felt "kind of a pop" and fell to the ground. But he got up and determined he could keep playing. Banchero poured in 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the first half as the Orlando Magic tried to stay in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Everyone else noticed Banchero was dealing with an injury in the third quarter. Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero both went for a rebound and crashed into each other. Banchero fell again and immediately grabbed his right ankle.
He got back into the play, but checked out and went back to the locker room. He returned briefly but clearly was not right and checked out again.
The hope that this was some minor injury dissipated after imaging was done on Saturday. Banchero was diagnosed with a low-grade right high ankle sprain. Banchero said he expected to miss at least four weeks, with the hope that he could work and recover quickly.
But Banchero likely feels the same way many fans feel after another early-season injury to one of the team's star players: He is a little ticked off by the circumstance.
"I'm pissed off," Banchero said at shootaround on Sunday. "It's probably the toughest one I've had to deal with just because I felt like I was doing everything right to prevent it. And then a freak accident type of thing happens. Really no way I could have prevented it. You don't want to feel sorry for yourself, so I'm not really doing that. I'm just upset."
This is another piece of adversity facing the Magic over the last three years. All in a year when the Magic doubled down on a roster that has dealt with injuries the last two seasons, preventing them from reaching their full potential.
It does not help that Orlando dropped its first two games at home to open the season. Or that Banchero looked genuinely refreshed after an up-and-down season in 2026.
All anyone can do is wait for Banchero to get healthy and keep the boat as steady as possible.
Paolo Banchero's frustrating injury history
It really does feel like deja vu that the Orlando Magic are dealing with an injury to Paolo Banchero in the season's first weeks.
Banchero came out blazing in the 2025 season, including a 50-point game. But just five games into the season, Banchero suffered a torn oblique. He had 31 points in his follow-up to that game but went noticeably silent in the fourth quarter of that loss. A clear sign of his injury.
Banchero would miss the next 34 games, returning in January and slowly regaining his conditioning and scoring ability.
Last year, Banchero again got off to a solid start when he suffered a strained groin in the team's 12th game. That injury was not as severe, missing only 10 games. But he was still slowed down. He likely felt the effects of that injury throughout the season.
The last three seasons have now been hampered by these false starts. Orlando has not seen him play at his best.
"I think any time you have injuries, it's tough," coach Sean Sweeney said after shootaround Sunday. "The message to him is: Nothing has changed. The job is to get better, and the job is to improve. Whether it is on the court or off, nothing has changed there. Then we want him to get healthy and get ready to go."
When he returns, Banchero will need some ramp-up time. An All-Star bid may be just out of reach for him now, even if his numbers will deserve it. But the Magic will need him wherever they are in the standings when he returns -- likely around Thanksgiving or into early December.
Sweeney said the team will still be working with him to watch tape and keep him mentally engaged with the game.
With an injury like this, it is a waiting game. It must heal first and then Banchero can begin returning to the court.
"Just try to get back 100 percent as quick as possible. Getting 100 percent is the only thing I am worried about," Banchero said after shootaround Sunday. "
The Magic will be eagerly awaiting that return.
Without Paolo
The reality is the team will once again play without Paolo Banchero. They will once again have to find a way to keep the team afloat and succeed with him on the bench.
Franz Wagner has had his best run of play while Paolo Banchero was injured the last two years, making his claim to be an All-Star.
He averaged 25.1 points per game and 6.1 assists per game in leading the Magic to a 13-8 record without Banchero in 2025. He averaged 23.6 points per game and led the Magic to a 7-3 record with Banchero out with the strained groin last year.
Many other players have stepped up in Banchero's absence. This team is used to filling in and standing out.
"Any time somebody is out, the next guy does have to be ready," Sweeney said after shootaround Sunday. "I think tonight, with these guys, the defending champs, you have to be very ready to start the game and sustain it throughout."
The Magic will need to figure out how to play together again. And get out of the early season rut they have been in before integrating Banchero back into the mix for what they hope will be a postseason push.
This is a team still coming together.
"Just want to see them come together," Banchero said after shootaround Sunday. "It's very early in the season. There is a lot out in front of us. Just continue to grow and play together, but also start to get some wins and start to find our flow as a team."
It is indeed frustrating the Magic have found themselves down such a key player so early in the season yet again. But the good news is that the team has held the ship steady without him before and that Banchero will return in due time.
That does not lessen the feeling that the Magic have yet to see their team at full strength and that this story is shaping up to have the same storyline as the last two.
It is something everyone can be a bit angry about.
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