All eyes were on one of the Orlando Magic's two full-length practice courts as the Magic's shootaround before Thursday's game ended.
Paolo Banchero has made it a habit to use those courts for his workouts under the watchful eye of Vice President of Player Performance and Wellness Arnie Kander. But Banchero was doing mostly stand-still shooting with maybe some light movement. He still seemed far away even as he inched closer.
This time was different. The Magic cleared the full court this time and had players shoot on the two half courts as they prepared for the game. This was the next step for Banchero in his recovery.
It was not a flash or anything quick, but Banchero was running the full length of the court, a clear sign he has entered the next phase in his recovery from the torn right oblique that has kept him out of the lineup for the last eight weeks. Banchero would then go into a defensive shell drill, moving laterally as coaches passed the ball around the perimeter.
He would end by taking the ball, going through some dummy screens and light pressure from the assistant coaches before taking a layup. He would then take a few free throws before discussing the rep with Kander again.
There was ample time between each rep. But Banchero was doing multiple of these high-intensity reps.
The conclusion? Banchero is making progress. He is getting closer to his return.
But let's be clear: Banchero's return is not imminent. This is merely as clear a sign that his return is fast approaching and that he is taking concrete steps toward returning to the court.
"He continues to respond to what we're pushing him to do," coach Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround Thursday (but while Paolo Banchero was going through his workout). "It's continuing to look at the days as they move forward. He is able to run up to higher speeds now. Getting on the court a little bit, doing some ball handling and some defensive work. Just little small pieces just to see how he's responding to what we're throwing his way."
Mosley said Banchero was not doing contact yet. Although the assistant coaches gave him light bumps as he worked around screens on both offense and defense.
As part of his workout routine, he performed a drill where he slid laterally on defense and high-fived coaches as Kander directed him which way to go. The drill ended with Kander doing a rapid succession of pats across Banchero's torso.
It is not like Banchero is not getting any hits or bumps. They are not NBA hits or bumps. That may be the last step in this process in Banchero's return.
When will that happen? The Magic are not ones to put timelines on his return.
"The reality is he has to go from the days and how he responds to the initial day and how he bounces back from there," Mosley said after shootaround Thursday.
It is still a day-by-day process. With Banchero working out while Mosley spoke to the media, we were unable to ask if this was the first time Banchero had done this specific workout. And so it is important to remember that how Banchero progresses depends on how he feels tomorrow and whether he can stack another of these workouts on top of it.
That is ultimately what it takes to return. And so the process continues for him to stack those days and inch closer to a return.
Regardless, this is a major visible step for Banchero. He has gone from simple standstill shooting to running and moving laterally. That is building up conditioning for his return—perhaps as big of a concern in determining his return date as anything else.
There is still work to do before he gets that final clearance. But returning from a major injury is about celebrating the little victories and taking these steps closer.
Banchero has taken a clear step closer to his return.