Orlando's Paolo Banchero suffers high ankle sprain, could be out 4-6 weeks
· Yahoo Sports
New season, new coach, same bad injury luck in Orlando.
Paolo Banchero suffered a low-grade, high right ankle sprain, the team announced Saturday.
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Paolo Banchero underwent an MRI, which has confirmed a low-grade right high ankle sprain.
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) October 24, 2026
Banchero suffered the injury during the first half of last night’s game vs. Minnesota. He will undergo further testing and evaluation, and his status will be updated as appropriate. pic.twitter.com/lkrP9SvyAC
While the Magic have not put a timeline on this, multiple reports note this kind of injury usually sidelines a player 4-6 weeks, which likely keeps Banchero out until around Thanksgiving.
Banchero explained how the injury happened this way to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.
"It was a play in the first quarter where Desmond (Bane) fell into me, kind of rolled up on my ankle and tweaked it to the inside," Banchero said. "And then I kept playing. And then I came out of halftime and there was that play in the third where I jumped, felt it, got up, asked to come out, came back in, and then felt it again. And I was just like, 'Yeah, I'm not going to push it any farther.' But I feel pretty confident it's nothing too major. I think I just tweaked it to the inside."
Through two games this season, Banchero has looked every bit an All-Star. In the opener against Atlanta, he had 35 points and 10 assists. He still dropped 14 points in Friday's loss despite being limited by his ankle. Through two games, he's shooting an unsustainably high 69.9% from the floor.
The Magic, 0-2 to open the season, are already without point guard Anthony Black due to a sprained ankle, but he is nearing a return. They will not have Banchero as they head out on a tough three-game road trip starting in New York and followed by two games in Toronto.