Magic Turn to Jase Richardson to Fill the Paolo Banchero Void

The Orlando Magic are officially entering the survival phase of their season. With franchise cornerstone Paolo Banchero sidelined for the next four to six weeks due to a high ankle sprain, head coach Sean Sweeney is being forced to get creative with his starting five.

According to Jason Beede, Sweeney is leaning toward starting young guard Jase Richardson on Sunday night against the New York Knicks.

"Underdog NBA relayed a report from Jason Beede that coach Sweeney is leaning toward starting Richardson on Sunday."

Replacing a 6-foot-10 offensive engine with a rotational guard is the basketball equivalent of fixing a blown tire with duct tape. You might make it to the next exit, but the ride is going to be incredibly bumpy.

The math here is brutal. Banchero was carrying the load with 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. Richardson is currently averaging a modest 4.0 points and 3.0 assists. That is a massive chunk of usage rate just vanishing into thin air.

Orlando is already reeling. They just dropped back-to-back games, including a 115-93 blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and a track-meet 132-125 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The defense is leaking, and now the primary scorer is in a walking boot.

Anyone looking at the game lines for Sunday's matchup at Madison Square Garden needs to adjust their expectations. The Magic are going to have to manufacture points by committee, which usually means a lot of clunky possessions and late-clock desperation heaves.

Richardson showed some flashes during the preseason when filling in for an ill Jalen Suggs, but a regular-season road game in New York is a completely different assignment. We are about to find out if Orlando actually has the depth to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference, or if the next month is just going to be a very long, very painful waiting game.