Paolo Banchero Suffers Injury in Timberwolves vs. Magic

The Orlando star is off to the locker room as his team trails against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is heading to the locker room early in the third quarter after suffering a lower leg injury during the team's second game of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Banchero appeared to hurt his right ankle after a fall underneath the Magic's basket, but it remains to be seen how serious the injury is.

Paolo Banchero Hurts Ankle vs. Wolves

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero drives to the basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the first half, Banchero remained efficient from the floor, much like he was during the team's season opener against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored a team-high 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting from the floor while dishing out five assists and grabbing four rebounds. He was clearly the Magic's best player in the first half, even if it wasn't at the same volume from what we saw against Atlanta in the opener.

Banchero played 40 minutes against the Hawks and head coach Sean Sweeney mentioned the importance of keeping his legs fresh throughout the course of the season.

"I definitely want to use the bench, definitely want guys to play and contribute. I think we would like to keep Paolo (Banchero) under 40 minutes probably if I had to guess. But just in general I think a lot of guys did a good job in a number of areas," Sweeney said following the game against the Hawks.

"But I liked the energy that Goga (Bitadze) brought in the second half at times, I thought Tristan (da Silva) did a pretty nice job throughout, Jamal (Cain) gave us a boost there in the third quarter and so yeah, those guys did a good job contributing. I thought Jase (Richardson) in the second half settled down a little bit and did a better job of his ball pressure, his point of attack defense and attacking on offense too."

With Banchero on the sidelines, Tristan da Silva checked in for him and should be expected to take his spot in the starting lineup if he were to miss the rest of the game and any time in the future.

For a team that has been controlled by injuries over the last few seasons, this is a scary thought, but Orlando should update his status as he gets more treatment. Banchero returned to the bench in the third quarter, and shortly checked back into the game.

Fans can watch the remainder of the game between the Timberwolves and Magic on Magic TV 27, or stream it on NBA League Pass.