A strong start to the season has taken a turn for the worse for Paolo Banchero.

The Orlando Magic forward is out for the foreseeable after suffering a low-grade right high ankle sprain, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Saturday.

According to Charania, the injury typically carries a recovery timeline of four to six weeks.

Banchero suffered the injury in Friday’s 115-93 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s unclear when he suffered the intial injury, but was seen stretching out his ankle on the sideline in the third quarter and ultimately exited for good at the end of the frame.

Banchero scored 14 points and added six rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes. He impressed in the first game of the campaign, finishing with 35 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in a 132-125 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

A first-overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Banchero missed nearly half of 2024-25 with a torn oblique muscle but rebounded to play 72 games last season.

However, the Magic’s other star forward, Franz Wagner, struggled with calf and ankle injuries last season and played just 34 games.

Orlando added Desmond Bane to its promising young core last off-season, but has still not won a playoff series since 2010.