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.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (ankle), who suffered a sprained right ankle in the third quarter of Wednesday's 138-135 double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, achieved a career-high 43 points with six three-pointers, five assists, four rebounds, and eight turnovers. It was the second night of Orlando's back-to-back after Tuesday's hard-fought matchup with the Golden State Warriors, and Banchero nearly played the role of hero. The 21-year-old reigning Rookie of the Year remains a far superior points-league fantasy asset for his 70.4% free-throw shooting on heavy volume and 3.3 turnovers per game, but he is still pouring in 22.4 points, 7.1 boards, 4.7 dimes, 1.5 triples, and 1.0 steals. Banchero may pop up on Friday's injury report when the Magic finish a four-game West Coast trip with a duel against the defending-champion Denver Nuggets.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (ankle) is considered questionable to return to Monday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Banchero rolled his ankle during the third quarter and headed to the locker room to be further evaluated. Franz Wagner will likely be counted on more offensively now. Joe Ingles (ankle) has returned to the game, so he could see more minutes. Also, Jonathan Isaac and Caleb Houstan should absorb more minutes with Banchero sidelined. Fantasy managers will need to check back later for another update on his status.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero was on a roll against Cleveland on Wednesday and finished a 121-111 loss with a career-high 42 points on 16-for-26 shooting. Banchero's offensive game has been inconsistent throughout the season, but he certainly made up for it a bit with his performance on Wednesday. Defensively, Banchero contributed a pair of blocks, and he had six rebounds and one assist. Last year's Rookie of the Year has failed to take a step forward in 2023-24 and was even averaging fewer than 20 points per game ahead of Wednesday's action. But he's a solid contributor across multiple categories, and there's still plenty of time left in the season for Banchero to improve his production.

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said after Wednesday's game that forward Paolo Banchero (ankle), who is listed as probable for Friday's rematch with the Washington Wizards, turned his right ankle during the third quarter of the eventual 139-120 win. Banchero was struggling before going down, hitting only 2-of-8 shots for a season-low six points to go with four turnovers. But Banchero dodged a serious sprain, as evidenced by Friday's official probable tag. Fantasy managers in category leagues are likely disappointed with the returns after spending a mid-round draft pick on the 21-year-old reigning Rookie of the Year; Banchero is settling in as a points-league preference with 19.1 points, 4.6 assists, 1.3 threes, and 1.1 steals with 3.3 giveaways per game and 65.1% free-throw shooting on sizable volume. Joe Ingles and Jonathan Isaac (ankle) would be tasked to step up for the upstart Magic if Banchero unexpectedly sits on Friday.

Team USA center Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 21 points during the FIBA win over New Zealand. The 20-year-old looked good in this one, going 8-for-10 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep while adding four blocks. Banchero, the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year, is coming off a potent inaugural season, finishing with averages of 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Although his three-point shooting needs work, he'll likely improve steadily moving forward.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero will get some action at the center position with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup. It's an interesting development to monitor, as the 20-year-old saw very little run at the 5 in Orlando's crowded frontcourt during his rookie season. That's unlikely to change much in 2023-24 even with Bol Bol out of the picture, as the Magic still feature Wendell Carter Jr. as the starting center with capable backups Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner off the bench. If Banchero ever receives center eligibility, fantasy managers who punt the turnover statistic in category leagues could view the playmaking wing as an even more attractive draft target.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero took home the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year award by a landslide and missed a unanimous decision by just two votes. The number-one overall pick averaged 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 42.7% on 15.6 field goal attempts and 29.8% on 4.0 three-point attempts per contest. While he showed some dominant flashes throughout the season, the rookie out of Duke surely displayed some areas that needed growth. With the Rookie of the Year under his belt, he and the Magic will set their sights toward making the playoffs next season.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero had one of the best games of his young career Friday, putting up a game-high 30 points and adding 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in a 116-109 win over Washington. Banchero's shooting was a bit shaky again, as he finished 8-for-17 from the field, but it was a great all-around performance, and the 20-year-old has now tallied double-doubles in back-to-back games. He is well placed to continue the double-double streak Sunday against an awful Pistons team.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero fell just one rebound and two assists shy of his first career triple-double during a 10-point win over the Washington Wizards. The rookie ended the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and one steal while shooting 6-for-9 from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Banchero doesn't need to take that many shots to affect a game and this victory was a good example of that. In his first year, he's only ranked just inside the top 200 for nine-category leagues because he still has to improve his efficiency and turnover numbers, but that normally comes with time.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero continues to add to his Rookie of the Year resume with another solid performance despite the 132-114 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Duke product ended the game with 27 points, six rebounds, and one block while shooting 11-for-21 from the floor and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. No assists were a bit uncharacteristic as he averages close to four per game, but his shooting efficiency was a great sight for fantasy managers in a playoff matchup.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is still the clear favorite for rookie of the year at the moment and he keeps putting up more performances to remind everyone. On Thursday, he posted 26 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one block while shooting 8-for-17 from the floor and 3-for-4 from deep. He also added seven made free throws out of his 11 attempts. Right now, his biggest knocks against him in category leagues are his field goal and free throw percentages which are common things for a rookie. He'll likely be highly valued in redraft leagues next season and should be coveted in dynasty formats.