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Magic’s Paolo Banchero Set To Return This Week

January 8th, 2025 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Star forward Paolo Banchero is expected to suit up for the Magic this week for the first time since October, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

According to Charania, the expectation is that Banchero will be upgraded to questionable on Orlando’s next injury report and will be available for either Thursday’s home game vs. Minnesota or Friday’s vs. Milwaukee.

Banchero got off to an impressive start to the season in the fall, averaging 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 36.4 minutes per night in the first five games of the season. However, he sustained a torn right oblique on October 30 and was ruled out indefinitely. The former No. 1 overall pick has now missed 33 consecutive games.

After earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2023 and making his first All-Star team in 2024, Banchero won’t be eligible for major awards in 2025 due to the NBA’s 65-game rule. But his return will be a boon for a Magic team that has played very well in his absence, even after forward Franz Wagner went down with a nearly identical injury in early December.

Orlando currently has a 22-16 record and holds the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

If Banchero is activated for Thursday’s game, it would be bad luck for the Timberwolves, who have already faced Zion Williamson on Tuesday in his first game since early November and Kawhi Leonard on Monday in just his second game of the season. However, Charania tweets that Banchero is more likely to make his return on Friday vs. the Bucks.

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And-Ones: 2025, Balance, Expansion, Neto, MVP

January 2nd, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Rory Maher

In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.

“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”

Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.

League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

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Southeast Notes: Magic, Mosley, J. Johnson, Plowden

January 1st, 2025 at 9:24am CST by Rory Maher

The Magic recently provided injury updates on Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays. All-Star forward Banchero, who has been out since Oct. 30 due to a torn abdominal muscle, was able to practice on Tuesday, but he’ll remain out for Wednesday’s contest vs. Detroit.

“Paolo was able to go through some light contact through practice, but that’s about it,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said.

Banchero recently stated that he’ll have to go through full contact work and participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages before being cleared to return.

Suggs sustained a right wrist sprain on Sunday vs. Brooklyn, but it sounds like the injury is relatively minor. The All-Defensive guard was able to practice on Tuesday and is probable for Wednesday’s game, according to Beede.

As for Black, he did not practice on Tuesday and is questionable for today’s game due to a lower back contusion. The second-year guard has missed one game to this point with the injury.

Here are a few more notes from the Southeast Division:

  • Despite significant injuries to Banchero, Franz Wagner and most recently Moritz Wagner, who is out for the season after tearing his ACL, the Magic have remained highly competitive, currently holding a 20-14 record, good for the No. 4 seed in the East. In a subscriber-only column for The Orlando Sentinel, Mike Bianchi argues that Mosley should be the frontrunner for the NBA’s Coach of the Year award for the way he’s managed the team — and the resilience the club has displayed — amid the absences.
  • In a post-game interview on NBA TV (Twitter video link), former NBA head coach Sam Mitchell noted that Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has started to receive some All-Star buzz. Asked if he’s been thinking about that possibility, Johnson said it’s a secondary priority. “I’ve got All-Star on my mind, but there’s more important things at task right now and that’s winning,” he said.
  • Last Friday, the Hawks signed guard/forward Daeqwon Plowden to a two-way contract. The deal covers two years, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac, which means Plowden will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2026. All two-way deals are non-guaranteed, however, so it’s certainly not a lock that Plowden will still be on Atlanta’s roster by that point.
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Southeast Notes: Daniels, Hawks Trade, Banchero, Smith

December 28th, 2024 at 8:31am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Hawks acquired one of the best defenders in the NBA when they obtained Dyson Daniels in this past summer’s Dejounte Murray trade, Jared Weiss of The Athletic writes. Daniels’ 6.5 deflections per game so far this season represent the highest average since the NBA started tracking the stat.

“Dyson is a menace and I’m excited he gets to show that more this year,” said teammate Larry Nance Jr. “Deep wing and guards situation in New Orleans, then he comes here and gets put in a situation where he can grow and expand and make mistakes without having another player breathing down your neck for minutes.”

Weiss explores Daniels’ defensive prowess and how he became such an effective weapon on that end of the court. He’s averaging a league-high 3.1 steals along with 13.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.9 blocks per contest.

“I think the trade for him was a massive blessing in disguise. Well, not even in disguise,” Daniels’ friend Josh Giddey said. “He’s just had the opportunity to flourish and show his true colors. He’s one of the best defenders in the world. He’s always had that defensive ability and I’m glad it’s on full display for everyone to see. … Maybe I’m biased because we’re very close, but in my opinion, he’s the runaway for Defensive Player of the Year.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Hawks reset their franchise’s trajectory by trading for Daniels, cap expert Yossi Gozlan writes on his subscriber-only Substack. While Atlanta is still in play-in territory, the team replenished its draft capital by acquiring two first-rounders alongside Daniels in the Murray trade, as well as a strong rotation player in Nance.
  • As we wrote on Friday, Magic star Paolo Banchero remains out but had his injury designation changed to “return to competition reconditioning” as he nears his first game back since October. He spoke on Friday to reporters, including The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede, about the checkpoints that remain before he can play again, explaining that he still hasn’t participated in any five-on-five scrimmaging and hasn’t done full contact, both of which are precursors to returning from an injury. “I’ve been trying to get back since I first went out, really,” Banchero said. “Now, it’s just going to be the fun part of getting back into actually playing. I feel I’ve just been showing up to the arena, just to watch for a long time now, so I’m going to just be excited just to be suiting up to play, warming up and getting back out here with the team.“
  • Heat guard Dru Smith underwent successful surgery on Friday for his ruptured left Achilles, the team announced (via Twitter). He’s expected to miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
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Injury Notes: Leonard, Suns, Green, Harris, Banchero

December 27th, 2024 at 3:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard will not play on Friday against Golden State and he will not travel with the team for its upcoming three-game road trip, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times (subscriber link). Leonard has yet to play this season as he recovers from a right knee injury.

However, the two-time Finals MVP continues to make progress — he went through a 5-on-5 practice on Thursday and he will practice with the G League’s San Diego Clippers while the NBA club is out of town.

“Making sure he’s doing everything so this doesn’t occur again so we can kind of monitor the fluid and see how it’s working,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “So far it’s been really good and we just want to continue to keep progressing.”

For what it’s worth, Leonard released a vague teaser video (via Twitter) on Friday saying he’ll be back “pretty soon.”

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

  • The Suns will be without All-Star guard Devin Booker for the fourth straight game on Friday when Phoenix faces Dallas, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Booker is recovering from a left groin strain. Grayson Allen (concussion protocol) and Bol Bol (left knee contusion) will also be sidelined for the Suns.
  • After previously being listed as questionable, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green has been downgraded to doubtful ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Clippers, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. An eight-time All-Defensive member, Green is dealing with a contusion on the left side of his lower back.
  • Magic guard Gary Harris may suit up on Friday vs. New York after missing the past 13 games with a left hamstring strain. He’s listed as probable, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links), who notes that while Paolo Banchero is still out, his injury designation has changed from torn right oblique to “return to competition reconditioning.” Banchero, who hasn’t played since Oct. 30, has been ramping up his on-court activities, but he’s not doing contact work yet.
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Southeast Notes: Butler, Banchero, Coulibaly, Sarr, Wong, Miller

December 26th, 2024 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler was in the spotlight quite a bit on Thursday, but he won’t be on the court tonight when the Heat play in Orlando. He’s listed as out due to return to competition reconditioning, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Butler is expected to rejoin the team on Friday when it prepares for Saturday’s road game against the Hawks.

Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley issued a statement on Thursday declaring that he won’t trade Butler. There has been heavy speculation regarding the future of Butler, who holds a $52.4MM option on his contract for the 2025/26 season.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Magic star Paolo Banchero continues to ramp up his on-court work, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Banchero has been sidelined eight weeks since he was diagnosed with a torn right abdominal muscle. However, he still hasn’t gone through a contact practice, so his timeline to return remains unclear.
  • Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr are available to play for the Wizards tonight against Charlotte, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post tweets. Both players sat out Monday’s loss to the Thunder.
  • 2023 second-rounder Isaiah Wong is averaging 7.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in seven December games. Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer explores whether the Hornets may have found a diamond in the rough in Wong, who was signed to a two-way deal earlier this month.
  • Hornets forward Brandon Miller is back in action tonight after missing the last three games due to an ankle injury, Boone tweets.
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Magic Notes: Comebacks, Anthony, Queen, M. Wagner, Banchero

December 23rd, 2024 at 10:04pm CST by Rory Maher

On Saturday vs. Miami, the Magic were playing without their top three scorers (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, the latter of whom returned on Monday following a one-game absence with a right ankle sprain). A rotation regular, Gary Harris, missed another game as he continues to deal with a hamstring strain.

Their fourth-leading scorer, Moritz Wagner, suffered a torn left ACL in the first quarter. And big man Wendell Carter was ejected in the second quarter after a pair of technical fouls.

As Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes, Orlando trailed by 22 points entering the fourth quarter, then proceeded to outscore the Heat 37-8 in the final frame, completing one of the biggest comebacks in NBA history. According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), it had been five years since a team had lost when leading by at least 22 points entering the final period.

“You can’t really explain that,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s something I haven’t seen. I have not seen that ever in my years in the league: the ability to stay with it despite all of the circumstances that started in the beginning of the game.”

Backup guard Cole Anthony, who has struggled to find a rhythm for much of the season (entering Monday, he’s averaging a career-low 11.7 minutes per game), erupted for season highs of 35 points (27 in the second half), eight rebounds and nine assists, with Orlando outscoring Miami by 17 points in his 28 minutes on the court. The 24-year-old was emotional during his post-game interview, as he’s been frustrated by his performances but loves playing for the Magic. A close-knit group, three of his teammates were waiting to congratulate him after the game, per Robbins.

“Just to feel that same love back and know I’m always going to get that same love, it’s something that I don’t think is appreciated as much, especially around the league,” Anthony said later. “You don’t get this many good people in one organization. You don’t get this many high-character people in one organization. So, I’m just blessed to be a part of this.”

Here’s more on the Magic:

  • They followed up their impressive comeback against Miami with another come-from-behind victory on Monday against the reigning champion Celtics, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. According to the team’s PR department (Twitter link), it was the first time Orlando has registered comebacks of at least 15 points in consecutive games since Feb. 7-9, 2014. Trevelin Queen, who provided a major energy boost vs. Miami, started the first game of his career on Monday and tied a career-high with 17 points, Beede notes, while first-rounder Tristan Da Silva notched a team-high 18 points, including a clutch three-pointer late to seal the victory. Carter moved to the bench so the Magic would have more size in the absence of Moe Wagner, Beede adds.
  • Moe Wagner was understandably upset that he’ll miss the rest of the season with a major knee injury, but also said he was “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support he’s received throughout the organization, according to Robbins. “(Keeping an even keel is) part of what (I) try to ask our guys to do in those moments, but the reality is we’re all human beings, and it broke me a little bit,” Mosley said Monday. “I teared up as I watched Moe go down because you watched the work that he’s put in, you watched the tear he was on. I mean, he was in the running probably, in my mind, for Sixth Man of the Year, (with) the energy that he brings to this team, the toughness he brings to this team. It shook me a little bit.”
  • Banchero continues to recover from a torn oblique he sustained on Oct. 30, the same injury Franz Wagner suffered on Dec. 6. The former No. 1 overall pick was doing some light shooting and ball-handling work prior to Saturday’s game, and Suggs says he’s eager to have the 22-year-old back in the lineup. “Just having his presence back amongst us is going to be amazing,” Suggs said, per Beede. “He’s used his voice throughout the time he’s been out. I know it’s been hard for him. It always is when you’re not playing to speak up at times and things like that. But to see how mentally locked in he’s been throughout this process, it’s been really cool.”
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Southeast Notes: Heat Picks, Jovic, Banchero, Harris, Valanciunas

December 19th, 2024 at 7:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Heat have just one first-round pick available to trade unconditionally, with two others having been traded away to acquire Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The only picks Miami can trade unconditionally are their 2030 or 2031 picks, but not both due to the Stepien Rule.

This complicates matters for the Heat as they approach what could be an eventful deadline, given Butler’s uncertain future with the team. The Heat don’t generally look to trade stars for draft picks, but acquiring win-now players in a deal that sends Butler away might be more difficult without many tradable picks.

Draft picks matter in the trade landscape that saw the Knicks surrender five first-rounders for Mikal Bridges this year and the Timberwolves give up four in exchange for Rudy Gobert in 2022. The Heat could, of course, recoup picks in a potential Butler trade, but Miami hasn’t traded a player for a pick (without giving one up) since 2009.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Heat forward Nikola Jovic sprained his ankle after rejoining the rotation on Dec. 12 and was sidelined for Monday’s game against Detroit. However, as Chiang writes in another story, it doesn’t appear Jovic will miss much time with the injury, as he’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Thunder.
  • Magic star Paolo Banchero has missed 23 games with a torn abdominal muscle and he’s continuing to progress, but hasn’t yet been able to participate in contact drills thus far, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “His spirits have been great,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “He understands that it is a process, and does he want to be on the court? Absolutely. … He’s done a great job of responding [to] that, to staying engaged, to communicating, being in and communicating in film sessions, all of those little things that he’s able to do, that he can control, he’s doing a great job of it.” According to Beede, Banchero has been able to do ball-handling and jogging at his own pace.
  • After being upgraded to questionable for Thursday’s game against the Thunder earlier today, Magic guard Gary Harris ended up missing the matchup, Beede writes in the same story. However, Harris’ return to the floor appears imminent. He hasn’t played since November 25 and is averaging 4.1 points per game in 17 outings this season.
  • The Wizards‘ front office continues to emphasize its primary goal of player development this season. That includes playing rookies heavy minutes while some veterans are coming off the bench. However, the Wizards were upfront with center Jonas Valanciunas this summer about their plans before he agreed to a three-year contract with the team, according to The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar. “I know what’s going on. I know we have a bright future in front of us, so we got to keep following the plan, keep working, keep grinding, keep getting better,” Valanciunas said. “I’m [an] older guy, but in this environment I got to be young.” According to Shankar, other veterans like Marvin Bagley III are also on board with the plan.
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Southeast Notes: Bridges, Williams, Da Silva, Vukcevic

December 14th, 2024 at 7:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heading into his first year with the Hornets, head coach Charles Lee had been planning to start Miles Bridges and Mark Williams together on his front line, but he didn’t have that opportunity until Friday night, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Bridges returned to the lineup after missing 10 games with a bone bruise on his right knee, marking his first game this season alongside Williams, who made his debut last week after recovering from a strained tendon in his left foot.

“I thought they had good games,” Lee said. “Miles, I think you see what he can bring to our offense, in terms of being able to be a pick-and-roll handler, off ball catch-and-shoot guy or off ball driver and play-maker. And then defensively, I thought that his communication was really good, his rebounding. So, I’m encouraged. And I thought Mark had some good spurts on both ends of the floor, too.”

Williams made his first start of the season, contributing 15 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes and showing signs that he might be ready to resume his normal role after being out of action for about a year. It was his longest outing since being cleared to return as his conditioning level continues to improve.

“It felt good,” he said. “Shout-out to my teammates for keeping my head in it, staying solid. But it felt good. Obviously, the intention was to win the game. This is a small piece of it. We were short in doing that, but I definitely felt good. There’s a lot of stuff I need to improve on individually and we can improve on collectively. But I think with each game I’m getting more and more comfortable with time increasing each game.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Lee’s first season as a head coach has featured revolving lineups as the Hornets have been hit especially hard by injuries, Boone adds. Lottery pick Tidjane Salaun also returned on Friday night and LaMelo Ball is expected back soon, but many of the combinations Lee has been forced to use haven’t played together very often. “I’m super proud of our guys,” he said. “No matter who’s been available, there hasn’t been any excuses made and there’s just been an overall competitiveness.”
  • Magic rookie Tristan da Silva has appeared in 23 games and made 16 starts, but he realized at today’s practice that he hasn’t played at the same time as Paolo Banchero, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The first-round pick wasn’t used much early in the season, and his first real opportunity didn’t come until Banchero was sidelined with a torn oblique. Da Silva said Banchero has been extremely helpful in his adjustment to the NBA. “He’s been very vocal,” Da Silva said. “He brings a lot of energy off the bench, which is really good for us, especially on the road. Every time somebody subs out, he’s right there telling people what he sees and giving his input on the game, which is amazing. Advice like that from a guy like that from the sideline is always good.”
  • Wizards two-way center Tristan Vukcevic was expected to start practicing today with the team’s G League affiliate, relays Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Vukcevic, a second-round pick in 2023, has been sidelined all season with a left knee contusion.
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Eastern Notes: Knicks/Raptors Dispute, Hornets, Banchero, Holland, Sixers

December 13th, 2024 at 6:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks and Raptors were required to update the court on the status of the arbitration process of their legal dispute on Friday, but agreed in a joint filing that there’s nothing to report, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays.

The Knicks filed a lawsuit in August 2023 alleging that former video coordinator Ikechukwu Azotam illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position with the Raptors and shared them with his new club. The Raptors, referring to the suit as “baseless,” argued that the issue ought to be resolved through the NBA’s arbitration process rather than in court, while the Knicks contended that commissioner Adam Silver wouldn’t be impartial.

A U.S. District Court judge ultimately sided with the Raptors and sent the matter back to the NBA, but with no movement yet toward arbitration, the Knicks didn’t miss the opportunity to fire another shot at Silver.

“We’ve been waiting for any direction from the NBA on next steps in this matter for months — proving our point that the NBA is not capable of appropriately and fairly handling this serious theft of proprietary and confidential files,” an MSG Sports spokesperson said in a statement, per Bondy. “Unfortunately, because of the clear conflict of interest between the Commissioner and the Chairman of the NBA, there has been complete silence from the league.”

We have more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Two injured Hornets players have been cleared to return to action on Friday in Chicago, with Miles Bridges (right knee bone bruise) and Tidjane Salaun (left ankle sprain) deemed available, per the team (Twitter link). Bridges, who last played on November 19, has missed Charlotte’s past 10 games, while Salaun has been sidelined since last Thursday.
  • Magic forward Paolo Banchero stated in mid-November that he hoped to be back to the court by Christmas, but his return from a torn oblique doesn’t appear close, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays. “He’s doing the same ball-handling, a little light movement on the floor, and then just trying to find ways to get the cardio up without applying too much pressure,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said on Friday. “But again, he’s just slowly moving his way to touching the court.”
  • Pistons rookie Ron Holland entered Thursday’s game in Boston having averaged 5.6 points per game on .425/.180/.786 shooting through his first 25 NBA games. But with Detroit facing a 25-point deficit on Thursday, Holland got a chance to play the entire fourth quarter and showed glimpses of what he could become, finishing the game with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting. While most of those points came in garbage time, the Pistons were encouraged by what they saw from the No. 5 overall pick. “It’s still against NBA players,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “Against a team who has a great system on both sides of the ball, and they understand what they’re doing. And it proved that he can be successful versus that. Hopefully, that leads to the confidence that kind of unlocks him a little bit and now he goes and he continues to build off of this.”
  • Sixers forward Paul George can identify first-hand with what teammate Joel Embiid is going through. After Embiid admitted that his knee issues have been “extremely depressing,” George – who has an extensive injury history of his own – said that dealing with health problems is the “toughest part of the game,” writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “We build ourselves up so much. The media builds us up. The community builds us up,” George said. “Then you face an injury that you know you’re not yourself. You’re not the same, but you are expected to be yourself when you get on that floor. So, mentally, it is tough.”
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