Halloween night turns scarier for the Orlando Magic! Playing in his third year, Paolo Banchero had an amazing start to the season. Earlier this week, he went off for a career-high fifty points against the Pacers. And it sure looked like this was going to be the year he took that next step and became a superstar. However, all hopes have come crashing down as the forward has suffered a devastating setback.

As it turns out, he got injured during the final quarter of last night’s Bulls game. Although Paolo was able to finish the game and even dropped 31 points, the latest reports revealed that he’s been diagnosed with a torn right oblique.

Unfortunately, the hooper has been sidelined “indefinitely” and will be “re-evaluated in 4 to 6 weeks“ which will further determine his timeline for return based on how he responds, as per Shams Charania.

Sure enough, this is a massive setback for him and the Magic organization because Paolo Banchero had been on fire in the first five games, averaging 29 points and nearly 9 rebounds. Even last night, the hooper nearly got his team the win as he hit an insane game-tying shot on the buzzer, which did not count because there was not enough time left on the clock.

Well, Paolo had high hopes heading into this season, as he said on Media Day, “This summer I worked on my body more than anything else.” Yes, he revealed that he was working on building his strength 3 to 4 times a day. But as fate would have it, he is now injured just 5 games into the season and there is no telling when he will be able to return. And it unfortunately halts his historic start.

Paolo Banchero was “tired” after the historic 50-point career night

It was only a few days ago that Paolo created history by becoming the youngest player in Magic’s franchise history to score a 50-piece. He also became the second youngest after LeBron James to club that with 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists!

A record-breaking night indeed. Sure enough, Paolo Banchero gave his all on the court to achieve this feat, later saying, “Man, I’m tired. I’m tired as hell.” Obviously, scoring a 50-point double-double and only one assist shy of a triple-double is no joke!

Paolo Banchero looked back on his performance with pride, “It was just being in the zone. Felt like I was in an open gym, back at home, just working on my game. Every shot felt like it was going in and it’s a good feeling when you’ve got a day like that. Not every game is going to be like that, but I’m glad today was.”

Moreover, it gave the Orlando Magic fans hope that Banchero could be the guy who leads them to a deep playoff run this year. But that dream is now in jeopardy with his tragic injury. Hopefully, he will recover soon and return with the form he was in to begin the season.