After a 10-game absence in which his team found its footing without him, forward Paolo Banchero will be available to play when his Orlando Magic host the Miami Heat tonight at Kia Center.
“I’m really excited,” Banchero told reporters in Orlando after the Magic’s shootaround Friday morning. “I’ve been feeling really good this week. It’s only been 10 games, but it feels like it’s been 50. So I’m just happy to be back out there and get to run up and down and compete and just be out there for the rest of the year.”
Paolo Banchero (left groin strain) will be available to play tonight vs Miami. pic.twitter.com/anpCzzGicr
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 5, 2025
On Nov. 12, Banchero suffered a groin strain during the first quarter against the New York Knicks. The Magic entered that game with a 5-6 record. They won that night and, in the 10 full games that Banchero missed, went 7-3 as Franz Wagner flourished, newcomer Desmond Bane gained more familiarity with teammates, Jalen Suggs’ minutes increased after knee surgery late last season and guard Anthony Black took on a larger role.
Bane scored 37 points in a hard-fought road win last Friday in Detroit and 37 points the next game in a victory over the Chicago Bulls.
No one doubts Banchero’s talent, productivity and ability, especially after he played well in a first-round playoffs series in 2023 against the Cleveland Cavaliers that the Magic lost and played well in a first-round series last spring against the Boston Celtics that Orlando lost.
Banchero averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season before his injury. But the Magic have emphasized playing at a faster pace this season, largely to find easier shots in transition and avoid having their half-court offense, which struggles to sink 3-pointers and space the floor, play against set defenses. It’s fair to wonder whether Banchero, who is by no means a plodder, is at his best in a faster-paced offense.
It’s also fair to ask whether the Magic have enough 3-point shooting in a starting lineup that also will include Suggs, Bane, Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. In 101 minutes this season, that grouping has outscored opponents by 19.3 points per 100 possessions and hit 35.3 percent of its 3s, according to NBA Stats. Wagner and Carter have made leaps with their 3-point shooting this season, and Bane is an accomplished 3-point shooter. But will Wagner and Carter maintain their shooting, and will Banchero develop into a better long-range shooter after he sank 25 percent of his attempts in his 12 games this season?
The Magic excel at generating free-throw opportunities, and they should be even better in that area now that Banchero has returned.
In addition to tonight’s home game against the Heat, the Magic are scheduled to face the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden and play an NBA Cup quarterfinal game Tuesday against the Heat in Orlando.