Paolo Banchero knows he has a little bit of work to do to get fully back into the swing of things after his three-week, 10-game absence with a strained left groin.
He certainly did not expect to jump right back in and dominate games as he knows he can. It is about gradually building up and becoming more comfortable with every step and every game on the floor.
Banchero is trying his best to add to the team's success, especially as he works himself back into game shape.
Still, Banchero is a massive presence. Even under a minute restriction, it is impossible not to gravitate toward him in some fashion. It is just about getting all that potential back on track.
In his second quarter stint, Banchero showed he still has some ways to go.
He tried to drive to the basket, initiating contact as he so often does, and get to his shot off the bump. There was no foul call this time and his shot fell woefully short. Mark that as Banchero not having his legs under him.
There was no hesitation the next time though. He got a post-up and spun around for a fadeaway shot. It was progress in real time. Banchero slowly finding his rhythm and his way.
It was a quiet night ultimately for Banchero with nine points and six rebounds on 3-for-8 shooting in the Orlando Magic's 106-105 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday.
Banchero seemed to make it a point to fit in with his teammates rather than impose himself on the game in his first game back from injury. He was limited to just 20 minutes of action as part of his recovery, playing mostly in five-minute stints.
It was a slow beginning for him. But still, exactly what he and the team needed to see: A hint of what this team will become.
"It was fun just being out there and being in front of the fans and getting to play with the guys and get a win most importantly," Banchero said in the locker room after Friday's game.
Despite any conversations to the contrary, the Magic know they will need Banchero to reach their full potential. There is still a long way to go in the season, and the team will still develop in the meantime.
The Magic can afford to be patient with Banchero and make sure he is healthy and fully integrated. If the team has proven anything this week, it is that it is good enough to win even without its best or most efficient efforts.
But they know they must continue improving. Banchero's return was more about the promise of what is to come and the work that is remaining to get the team there.
The team is getting closer to being at its best. there are still a lot of pieces of the puzzle to put together.
Banchero's early impact
Paolo Banchero was not looking to be the superstar in this one.
Perhaps he understood he did not have his legs under him enough to do so or he wanted to dip his toes in the water, knowing that he was on a minute restriction. Or to challenge Bam Adebayo, his primary defender.
Banchero took the approach in this game of trying to fit in. He did not seem willing to take over the game or try to do too much.
Banchero simply wanted to help the team win.
"Just trying to find a rhythm within the minutes that I'm playing, but also not trying to go out there and throw up shots because I'm not playing a lot of minutes," Banchero said in the locker room on Friday. "Obviously, getting the win is most important. Just trying to let the game come to me and take the shots when they were there and make the right play."
The Magic, at times, looked like they did when Banchero was out. The ball moved quickly and did not stick, and certainly not to Banchero. He was trying to keep things moving and make quick decisions, all things that he is often criticized for not doing.
Orlando was +6 in Banchero's minutes on the floor. His scaled-back approach did little to harm the Magic and their chances to iwn.
There were still a lot of ups and downs -- the vaunted starting lineup won its minutes by only one point as the Magic lost a 10-point fourth quarter lead and hung on for the victory for dear life.
The ball eventually did stick in the fourth quarter during that comeback. But that was not because of Banchero.
If there was hope then it was how easy it was for Banchero to do things positively even as he sought to find his way.
There was still so much left to build on.
Coming together
The team knows there is a lot in reserve to come together and build with. It may take a few games for the team to reconfigure its rotation. And find its flow and groove again.
Paolo Banchero's return was inevitably going to be a little disruptive. The team will work to rediscover that flow.
"We established how we want to play as a unit," Franz Wagner said after Friday's game. "I think if everyone is committed to that, the ball will find who it should find. Obviously, it is going to be Paolo a lot of the time, too. I think just continue to do what we've been doing, keep communicating out there. And, as soon as Paolo gets a couple of games under his belt, we'll look great as a team."
Paolo Banchero's minute restriction, like with Jalen Suggs' minute restriction earlier in the season, often through the team a bit for a loop. It felt like the early games in the season, where players were still trying to figure out how to play together.
There might be another process of coming together as everyone reacclimates to Banchero's return.
Banchero's role and his comfort should only grow. That will help put everything in place.
Banchero is already adding to the group and what worked in his absence.
It will take some time. But the potential is obvious. How much this team can grow and improve is obvious, too.