Magic get DEVASTATING News...

The Magic received devastating news. That's right. Following the 115-93 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, we got some injury news that we have to talk about. Paolo Banchero is giving us that familiar feeling. It was just reported, breaking a little while ago by Shams Charania, that Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero has suffered a low-grade right high ankle sprain. This injury diagnosis typically carries a timetable of four to six weeks, so two games into the season, we're dealing with similar issues that I know Magic fans, you guys are almost tired of hearing, just injuries, bad offense. It just feels like a replay of everything that we have been dealing with. If we look at Paolo right now, it has been one good game. He had that first game where he came out and looked like gangbusters. We're talking about, you know, carrying the team, even though they lost, but really putting the team on his back. and then yesterday last last night's game he had his moments he looked good he was one of the few players that that looked okay but it just wasn't enough with that loss man so far this season he's averaging 24.6 and a half rebounds seven and a half assists four turnovers that plus minus of negative 10 i mean it's just been there's been two very tough games and i know you guys i've seen the comments i've seen the reddits i've seen it all it's a lot of the we've seen this before another team another year with high expectations another major major injury already dealing with injuries coming into the season and now Orlando must respond and how do we respond how does this team go forward that is what we're going to be focusing here on the next couple of episodes again I jump right into this no introduction no videos nothing this is your big honk Eric man I just said let's get in here and talk about because it just felt so familiar it really did it just I'll be honest, like it put a bummer on watching the rest of the game last night I knew what was happening, it was just like here we go again, I wish I had that uh meme from San Andreas, you you know what I'm talking about, it's like in other news man, we're gonna keep it going but this you know we're just gonna lead into it, we did get somewhat positive news Jason Beattie of the Orlando Sentinel After reporting on the Paolo injury did report that the Magic have upgraded Anthony Black With that right ankle sprain to questionable for Sunday's game at New York with Paolo out Jonathan Isaac, Noah Pina, and Isaiah Nelson are still out so right now it is going to be about focus What do the Magic do? what does Sean Sweeney do with his rotations, with the offensive system? Because we saw the offensive changes focused on Paolo, getting him into the right positions, getting him easier baskets. Even yesterday before he went out, he hit a couple of tough mid-rangers that I wasn't excited about him taking them, but he actually hit them. it looked like he was feeling comfortable even as the team was not playing the best, you know, you go out there and you lightweight put the clamps on Anthony Edwards after the amazing first game he had and it looked tough especially that first half I'd never seen Anthony Edwards just miss shots the way he did, you saw the rest of the team struggle, I mean, I mean it felt like you could have took last night's game and just dropped it in last season with the way they missed three-pointers. and you wouldn't have told me anything different. The only thing different would have been that the coach looks a little different. So differences between the coaches visually. But the team, it looked a lot of the same. It looked like a lot of the same. Apologies for my frustration. I know you guys must feel it because it has to be frustrating. and I know how frustrating it is for you, for the fans. And I'm just a fan too. Don't ever get it twisted. Like I'm some special inside media guy. I'm just a fan who knows what's going on, man. Knows how these things happen. I even said it in the preseason. I was like, if we can go get the 2K mods to go in and turn off injuries, I'd love to see what this Magic team would look like at full strength. But we're going to have to wait a little while. Right now let's look at potential lineup changes I believe Tristan the Silver will definitely be the one to fill fulfill that role as that was his role last season anytime Franz or Paulo miss some games he was the one to step in and take that starting position and it is probably going to be a pretty tight rotation if Anthony Black does come back now he has been upgraded to questionable not available questionable not available but we're just gonna go ahead and throw him in there right now just on with just hopes that you're probably gonna see him come back in I think they'll probably take some time to slowly reintegrate him into this system but we're hoping that if he does come back that he's fully healthy like there's no need to rush it now I'm gonna just be honest, I, it feels like they're trying to rush him back now because of the Paolo situation. I would say, just let him take his time to get fully healthy because these next couple of games are going to be tough. I'm not saying they're automatic losses, but they're going to be really tough against teams who play real good defense. The Knicks will be hungry for their first win. they're they're they're currently 0 and 2 Toronto is looking crazy nice just they look like you know they'll be able to put the clamps on a lot of teams man especially with Kawhi two games against Toronto, I'm just saying if Black is not 100 ready to go maybe you let him rest a few more days to get into great shape but if he's ready to go put him out there because we're gonna need him that second rotation, I'm seeing Black, Jace Richardson. Jamal Cain is going to have to step up, man. He had some good moments last season. He's going to have to step up. He's been pretty non-existent so far in these two games. Some more Goga, Vooch, hopefully. Maybe Vooch's rebounding and three point shot will come into play, but it's really going to be about Franz and how he can lead this team going forward. But we look at him over two games, averaging 20.6 rebounds and five assists, but you got to look at those four and a half turnovers. What a negative 9.5 plus minus. he's he's just got to be better you know he really is that three-point percentage 21 even 50 from the free throw line like we know that he had those that right shoulder injury and i wonder if he's not fully healthy from that because it does look like his shot is just not there and i know he's not a knock-down shooter but it looks worse it looks like it's it definitely looks like there's hesitation at times and when you hesitate that means you're either just flat out unconfident in shooting the three or you're probably hedging from the fact that you are kind of injured and you're just not feeling it 100 but he's not the only one who's got to step up this whole team the whole team but Desmond Bane another 40 million dollar man you got to step up it's not even a joke right now. This is unacceptable. 21% from the three-point line from you, and I get it. Two games, small sample size. We know what type of iron man that he was for the Orlando Magic last year. We know that he had a slow start with this team last year, but you almost get that it was acceptable because you got traded to a new team. You came in. Guys were in and out. It took you a while to get your footing. Now we don't have time for that. This team does not have time for you to figure it out. Go out there and ball like straight up. Same thing for Jalen Suggs. I mean, it's again, he has times where he does things where it's like, okay, I can see it, especially on the defensive end. I remember I literally texted my brother earlier in that game last night. He has been as good on defense as he was equally terrible on the offensive side. And I mean, in two games, 16.7% from the three-point line, five assists and two and a half turnovers. Still making some of those plays where it's like, I understand what you're trying to do, but if it's like, just settle down and don't do that. But I ask you, who is going to be the one to step up with this new offensive burden. It's got to be Franz driving the offense. He's got to go out there with that 1A mentality. A lot of people have been saying Franz is the better player between him and Banchero. This is his time to prove that or at least show why those people are so confident in saying that. Desmond Bane, you got to step up, man. You got to get more touches and you got to put it down more touches i need to see more drives if the shot isn't falling get to the lane that's what you did last year that's what you did in Memphis when the shot wasn't falling you attacked one of the best finishers at the rim just with crazy stuff that's what we need and others you got to play in movement if you're going to use this new system where your movement ball touches open shots everybody's got to play with that energy but yeah man i'm i'm not gonna waste you guys time man it's we already see what's going on so i'm gonna get up out of here let me just ask you let me just ask you can the Magic stay afloat without Paolo just go ahead and answer that down below in the comments if you say yes it's it's time for Bane and France to get it on cool if you say only if the defense improves maybe if the defense picks up that can help out with this offense and maybe keep them afloat or is it just more of the same with injuries bad offense not even playing the strong Orlando defense that we're used to I don't know I don't know I'm gonna get up out of here we'll be back tomorrow I'm gonna get more in depth on some things and actually talk about what I'm seeing from this team, Sean Sweeney, and what can the Magic look forward going into this game against New York. But I'm going to get out of here, man. It's your big uncle Eric. Until next time, it's Magic Digest.