Orlando Magic
Eastern Southeast
Paolo Banchero tallied 24 points (9-18 FG, 3-7 3P, 3-6 FT), 11 rebounds, five assists, and a block across 29 minutes of Tuesday’s 113-108 loss to the Grizzlies.
Fantasy Impact: Banchero logged his 12th double-double on Tuesday while scoring the most points (24) he’s had in a game since the middle of March. He came out firing on all cylinders in his first season in the NBA. However, the rookie wall has become a reality for Banchero, with the combination of lowly defensive statistics and inefficient field goal percentage significantly putting a damper on his current fantasy value. Still, in the long run, Banchero projects to be one of the better players to have on rosters for seasons to come. With six games left on the schedule for the Magic, the Duke product will look to end strong. His first chance to do so will be Friday when the Magic travel to Washington to take on the Wizards. In his most recent meeting against the Wiz, Banchero flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Category: Game Recaps
Franz Wagner posted 25 points (8-21 FG, 5-12 3P, 4-4 FT), three rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals during Tuesday’s 113-108 loss to the Grizzlies.
Fantasy Impact: Wagner has turned up the heat of late. Over the last ten games, the second-year forward has sat just outside the top 50 players with averages of 18.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.6 3-pointers with shooting splits of 48.7% and 31.4%. Wagner will look to continue his elevated level of play Friday against the Wizards.
Category: Game Recaps
Jalen Suggs (concussion) is available to play in Sunday's game against the Brooklyn Nets. (Source: Orlando Magic on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: A concussion has left Suggs sidelined for over a week, but he has finally cleared the league's protocols and will be available to play on Sunday. His return likely means less work for Cole Anthony in Orlando's rotation moving forward.
Category: Injury Updates
Cole Anthony drops 16 points (7-14 FG, 1-4 3P, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal in Tuesday’s 122-112 win over the Wizards.
Fantasy Impact: The Magic have received solid production from Anthony recently. The third-year point guard has scored in double figures and recorded five or more assists in six consecutive games. With Jalen Suggs still in concussion protocols, Anthony should continue to lead the second unit at point guard. Rostered in only 59% of Yahoo leagues, the former Tar Heel is well worth the real estate if he’s still sitting on the waiver wire.
Category: Game Recaps
Markelle Fultz finished Thursday’s game against the Suns with 25 points (11-17 FG, 0-1 3P, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.
Fantasy Impact: Fultz led the way for the Magic on Thursday with an excellent performance across the board. Despite not being a threat from three-point range, the 24-year-old point guard has put together an excellent season. Providing top-100 value in 9-cat formats, Fultz has become an essential asset to fantasy rosters. He’ll look to add to his spectacular season Saturday when the Magic travel to LA to take on the Clippers.
Category: Game Recaps
Wendell Carter Jr. (hip) remains out for Thursday night's game against the Utah Jazz. (Source: NBA Injury Report)
Fantasy Impact: Thursday will be the third-consecutive game that Carter has missed because of a hip injury. It's unclear when he plans to make his return to the court, and he seems set to miss more time beyond this game. Bol Bol will continue to get more work while the big man is out versus the Jazz.
Category: Injury Updates
Admiral Schofield (concussion) is likely to play in Thursday's game against the Utah Jazz. (Source: NBA Injury Report)
Fantasy Impact: A concussion left Schofield sidelined on Thursday, but he has recovered well and is expected to make his return for the Magic. He doesn't get a lot of work even when healthy, so he likely won't be worth starting in most fantasy formats even if he's active against the Jazz.
Category: Injury Updates
Goga Bitadze finished with 12 points (6-9FG, 0-1 3P, 0-0 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal across 20 minutes of Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks.
Fantasy Impact: Bitadze only played 20 minutes combined in his first three games in a Magic uniform. However, with Wendell Carter Jr. (hip) still sidelined, Bitadze took on the backup center minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks. The big man gave the Magic solid minutes in his extended role off the bench, falling two rebounds shy of a double-double. Still, even if WCJ remains out of the lineup, Bitadze isn’t a reliable enough option to consider rostering him.
Category: Game Recaps
Gary Harris (adductor) has been ruled out and will not play for the Orlando Magic against the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday. (Source: NBA Injury Report on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Harris will join Carter Jr. (hip) out of the lineup once again for the Magic, giving Jalen Suggs another opportunity in the starting lineup Tuesday night against Milwaukee.
Category: Injury Updates
Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) has been ruled out for Orlando's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. (Source: NBA Injury Report)
Fantasy Impact: A hamstring injury will force Isaac to miss his third-straight game on Wednesday. It's unclear when he will be back on the floor, and the team hopes it will be sooner rather than later. Fantasy managers can look for Moritz Wagner to get additional minutes while the forward is out against Milwaukee.
Category: Injury Updates
The Orlando Magic waived R.J. Hampton Jr. on Tuesday. (Source: Shams Charania on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Hampton last played in a game on January 4 for the Magic. He will have the chance to try and carve out a bigger role on a new team.
Category: Transactions
Terrence Ross reportedly plans to sign with the Phoenix Suns. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Ross agreed to a buyout with the Orlando Magic on Saturday after seven seasons with the team. He should be a nice depth veteran guard for a Suns team with NBA Finals aspirations following the acquisition of Kevin Durant. His fantasy value will likely be minimal.
Category: Transactions
The Orlando Magic have traded Mo Bamba to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Patrick Beverley according to Shams Charania. (Source: Shams Charania on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Bamba receives another change of scenery in hopes of finding some type of consistent role. The big man flashed plenty of upside and potential in Orlando but was also maddeningly inconsistent at times as well. Fantasy owners will want to monitor how large of a role Bamba will have in Los Angeles rotation adding depth around LeBron James in hopes of making a late season push towards the postseason.
Category: Transactions
Bol Bol has been placed in the league's health and safety protocols. (Source: Khobi Price on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Bol will be without a timetable to return. Mo Bamba could see some more minutes in his absence.
Category: Injury Updates
Moritz Wagner was suspended two games for his altercation with Killian Hayes on Wednesday. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Wagner seemed to shove Hayes into the bench before Hayes struck Wagner in the back of his head. Cole Anthony, RJ Hampton, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. were all also suspended one game for leaving the bench. Bamba should see more minutes while Wagner is serving his suspension after he serves his own one-game suspension.
Tue, Dec 20th 11:55am EST
By Leo Sells
Chuma Okeke underwent a procedure on his knee and is expected to be sidelined for at least one month. (Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Okeke has been sidelined for multiple weeks now due to a knee injury, and he underwent a procedure to try to fix it. This will knock him out for a month at least, and the team will re-evaluate him at a later date. Moritz Wagner will continue to play a key role for Orlando while Okeke misses extended time.
Category: Injury Updates
Caleb Houstan finished Sunday’s loss to the 76ers with 12 points (4-8 FG, 4-8 3P, 0-0 FT), one rebound, three assists, and one steal across 26 minutes.
Fantasy Impact: With Terrence Ross (illness) forced to exit the game at halftime, Houstan was asked to play a career-high 26 minutes. The rookie took advantage of the extra playing time and made his presence felt from behind the arc by sinking four triples. However, despite the decent performance from the former Michigan product, no one should be rushing to the waiver wire to scoop him up.
Category: Game Recaps