Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero finished with a massive double-double in Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had a team-high 38 points and 16 rebounds, adding three steals and one block. Unfortunately, his stellar performance wasn't enough to lead his team to the win. With the Magic now eliminated from the postseason after seven hard-fought contests with the Cavs, Orlando will look to improve the roster during the offseason. With that said, the club will remain constructed around Banchero, who showed signs of growth in his second season in the league by averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. Although his shooting numbers could use some work, he'll likely improve in 2024-25, raising his stock in category formats.
Paolo Banchero Leads All Scorers In Game 5 Versus Cleveland
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero led the way with 39 points in Tuesday's 104-103 Game 5 loss to Cleveland. He shot 14-for-24 from the field and 4-for-7 from downtown en route to becoming the third-youngest player ever with 39-plus points in a playoff game, behind only LeBron James and Magic Johnson. Banchero's night included eight rebounds and four assists with five turnovers. The Magic star now boasts two 30-point efforts in the series and is averaging 24.8 points overall, along with 7.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Orlando will need similar numbers from him in Friday's Game 6 to survive for another day.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to a blowout win in Game 3 on Thursday night. After producing two high-turnover totals in the first two playoff games of his career, Banchero settled in and didn't turn the ball over once on Thursday. The Duke product finished this contest with 31 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and one steal while shooting 13-for-26 overall and 4-for-9 from downtown. Banchero is the driving force of the Magic offense, so when he gets into a rhythm, the Magic look a lot better as a unit. He's also produced fewer turnovers and better shooting percentages when playing at home this season.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (illness) will play in Thursday's contest versus the Utah Jazz. A game-time decision entering play, Banchero will return for the Magic on Thursday following a three-game absence due to an illness. After getting on a heater before the All-Star break, the 21-year-old rising star hasn't looked sharp of late with 13.5 points on 28.1% shooting from the floor and 1.0 threes on 33.0% shooting from long range in two outings since returning from the break. A prime get-right spot against the Jazz awaits Banchero, however, as Utah is allowing more FanDuel points to opposing power forwards than any other squad this year. Lock the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year into season-long fantasy lineups on Thursday, and his DFS appeal is certainly appetizing as a potential slate breaker. Caleb Houstan will revert to Orlando's second unit as well as fantasy obscurity with Banchero back in the fold.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (illness) will be a game-time decision for Thursday's game versus the Utah Jazz. Luckily for DFS players, Thursday's tip-off comes in the early window at 7:00 p.m. EST, so we'll know Banchero's status ahead of when fantasy lineups lock. The 21-year-old All-Star has a mouthwatering matchup against the Jazz, who are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing power forwards on FanDuel this year, so he'll be a great pivot off Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) if available for those paying up at the position on Thursday. It's not a great sign that the Magic have already ruled out Jonathan Isaac (illness), so if Banchero cannot give it a go for a third game in a row, Franz Wagner would continue to orchestrate Orlando's offense in a plum spot versus Utah.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (illness) is officially listed as questionable for the Magic's game Thursday against the Jazz. The 21-year-old missed the team's game on Tuesday due to illness and is at risk of sitting out his third consecutive game on Thursday. Should Banchero be sidelined once more, Caleb Houston would likely step into the starting lineup again. Banchero boasts averages of 22.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 34.8 minutes per game this season.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (illness) won't play on Tuesday versus Brooklyn. He will miss a second consecutive contest with an illness despite being at the morning shootaround. Caleb Houstan will be his replacement in the starting lineup on Tuesday. The 21-year-old finds himself among the starters for the ninth time this season, but he hasn't taken advantage of the previous opportunities. Despite averaging a healthy 26.6 minutes as a starter, Houstan has posted only 9.0 points with 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (illness) is listed as questionable for Tuesday's matchup against Brooklyn. He missed his first game of the season on Sunday against Atlanta with an illness and hasn't apparently fully recovered yet. Goga Bitadze started in Banchero's spot at the weekend but didn't do a lot, and he will be a risky streaming choice on Tuesday if Banchero remains out.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been added to the injury report ahead of Thursday's matchup against Cleveland, with the team listing him as questionable with an illness. Banchero will be out for the first time this season if he misses Thursday's action. Moritz Wagner or Jonathan Isaac could replace him in the starting unit. Wagner is definitely the safer option for fantasy managers, as he's been posting good per-minute numbers all season.
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero pulled off a spectacular performance on Friday against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, leading his team to a 122-120 road win with his first career triple-double. He topped all scorers with 32 points on 8-for-21 shooting and registered 10 rebounds with 11 assists while adding three steals on the defensive end. Banchero's shooting performance could've been better, but he got past the 30-point mark thanks to his 15-for-19 effort at the charity stripe. The first pick from the 2022 NBA Draft has had a hugely impressive opening to 2024, averaging 34.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists with 1.7 steals.
