Paolo Banchero will miss multiple weeks with a low-grade high ankle sprain

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has a low-grade right high ankle sprain and is expected to miss multiple weeks, ESPN reported Saturday. The Magic confirmed the diagnosis a few minutes later.

The team said an MRI confirmed the sprain, which Banchero suffered in Friday night's game against Minnesota. He will undergo more testing and evaluation, and the Magic said they will update his status "as appropriate." They did not give a timetable. ESPN noted that this diagnosis usually means four to six weeks.

Banchero finished Friday's 115-93 home loss to the Timberwolves with 14 points and six rebounds and did not play in the fourth quarter.

Who is out Sunday

Orlando visits the Knicks on Sunday. The Magic's injury report, as posted by Jason Beede, lists Banchero as out along with Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury management), Noah Penda (partially torn right hamstring) and Izaiyah Nelson. Anthony Black, who has been dealing with a right ankle sprain, was upgraded to questionable.

What it costs Orlando

The Magic have played through injuries to their core before. ESPN's numbers show Banchero missed 46 games over the last two seasons combined, Franz Wagner missed 70 and Jalen Suggs missed 72, and Orlando still made the playoffs both years.

When it has its full group, it has been good. Over the last three regular seasons, the Magic are 40-26 when Banchero, Wagner, Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. all play. Last season, lineups with those four plus Desmond Bane outscored opponents by 45 points in 182 minutes together, shot 50.1% from the field and held opponents to 46.2%.

Without Banchero, more of the scoring falls to Wagner and Bane, and Orlando's frontcourt is already short with Isaac and Penda out.

What to watch

The next update from the Magic after the additional testing is the one that matters. A low-grade sprain gives Banchero a chance to land at the short end of that four-to-six-week window. A setback in his rehab would push it longer.