Paolo Banchero said he knew exactly the moment it happened in the fourth quarter. He went up for a layup and took an elbow from Torrey Craig and realized something was not right. It was just a random hit—the wrong bump at the wrong time.
He finished the game, but it was clear in hindsight that something was not right. He was not attacking the basket with the same fervor, his movements were a lot slower and his shots were coming up woefully short. The Orlando Magic struggled throughout that fourth quarter and a lot of that came down to Banchero's inability to get downhill. It is obvious now.
There is nothing anyone can do. But Banchero knew enough that he needed to get checked after the game. That is when the Magic discovered he had torn his right oblique. They have ruled him out indefinitely and will re-evaluate him in 4-6 weeks.
Banchero said he knows injuries are part of the game—and this will be the first major injury of his playing career after he missed only 12 total games in his first two seasons—and he is hopeful his timeline will have him back in six weeks (mid-December). That would be quite a Christmas gift.
But until then, Banchero had a clear message for his team: This is an opportunity as much as anything else. An opportunity for the team to come together and step up with Banchero off the court.
"I just told them and sent them a message last night, this is a great opportunity for us to come together as a group, grow even closer," Banchero said after shootaround on Friday. "Definitely next man up for guys to step up and keep getting wins and keep doing what we're doing. Obviously, it's not ideal that I'm out but we have a lot of guys who can step up and make plays. I think they're ready to do that."
Paolo Banchero challenged his team in his absence
Paolo Banchero said he still plans to be engaged with the team. He will still travel and attend practices as things are planned right now. The oblique is a hard injury to work around, so Banchero likely will not be doing much physical activity for a few weeks. He hopes to stay engaged with the team.
Coach Jamahl Mosley said he will do his part too. Banchero should still be involved in coaches' meetings and involved with the team. His input will still be vital. The Magic hope Banchero can learn from the sidelines.
Of course, the team will feel his absence on the court.
Banchero is averaging 29.0 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game and 5.6 assists per game on career-best efficiency (49.5/34.4/64.4 shooting splits and a 55.2 percent effective field goal percentage and 59.0 percent true shooting percentage). He is coming off a 50-point, 13-rebounds, 9-assist game on Monday and followed it up with 31 points Wednesday.
The Magic are going to be missing a lot without him.
Banchero plays a ton of minutes and most of it against starters. The Magic have a -1.8 net rating with Banchero off the floor including a woeful 95.8 offensive rating. Orlando is going to have to find a way to generate some offense considering so much of it runs through Banchero.
But that is the challenge. Everyone on the team has to step up.
"What we talked about this morning as a group is it sucks," coach Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround Friday. "There's no other way to put it. It sucks for him. The way in which he started this year and the way in which he was playing and carrying us in so many ways.
"In the same breath, it is an opportunity. An opportunity for guys to step up and step into their roles. An opportunity for guys to continue to play to our standard of basketball. We're going to continue to defend the right way, share the basketball, move the basketball and attack the way we need to attack. It's an opportunity for guys to step into a bigger role."
Magic's championship mettle, potential will be tested
The characteristic of a championship team is not to bat an eye no matter who is out. The Orlando Magic have to rally and come together. Players have to step up into bigger roles.
Franz Wagner obviously will have the most eyes on him. He has been slowed early this season by an illness, but he has had some big games including 29 points in the win last Friday against the Brooklyn Nets. The Magic are going to lean on him more and he will get a lot more attention from opposing defenses.
Franz Wagner will play a lot of Paolo Banchero's role as a main creator and playmaker.
Of course, Wagner is different. He leans a lot more on pick and rolls and has less of the brute force. He does not rack up the assists, although Wagner reminds everyone there is more to playmaking than tallying assists.
The team will need plenty of others to step up from Jalen Suggs becoming more of a driver. They may need to stretch out Jonathan Isaac's minutes now that he is supposedly fully healthy. Wendell Carter should get more shots. They need Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to start hitting threes.
They are going to need the entire team to pull together and ake advantage of this opportunity.
"It forces other people to be in positions and do some stuff they haven't done this year," Anthony Black said after Friday's shootaround. "I think it could be a good thing for us. If we all lock in and figure it out as P gets healthy and comes back that's where we become dangerous for that middle and back half of the season."
A lot of players are going to learn what they are capable of. The Magic are going to learn how players can shift and change their roles. Everyone is getting pushed out of their comfort zone. And it is important for Orlando to see how these players respond.
Orlando Magic must simplify
Still, the Orlando Magic have to get back to their basics. They know what their formula for success is. And that does not change with Paolo Banchero out even if the team loses his ability to hit tough shots and bowl his way to the basket and foul line.
The thing Jamahl Mosley stressed as the Magic prepare for this new reality for the next few months is that the team should not lose its identity.
Orlando is a strong defensive team and losing Banchero is not going to change that. Banchero is an improved defender, but he was one of the weaker links in the chain. Orlando should still be able to defend at a high level, even without him.
If the Magic are going to be successful and hold the ship steady in the next two months, it will start with locking in on defense.
"I think the depth of this group is really important," Mosley said after shootaround Friday. "Obviously, losing P in this space and this way is going to change it. Just being able to find the right combinations that work well together. I will keep going back to there is a style of basketball that we need to continue to play. That's not going to change in that regard."
Mosley will need time to find the right lineup combinations and roles for players to make this work. Players will need to adjust and step up. There will be fits and starts. The team will have to change some of its offensive identity without Banchero.
But the team's goals and the opportunity to make something of this season do not diminish without a key player. Orlando has to find a way.
That is the opportunity ahead of this team.
It stinks to be without Banchero for a little while. But with the mourning done, Orlando has to find a way to push through.