Paolo Banchero is doing more. That much is evident.
After practice on Saturday, Banchero was going through a light shooting regiment on the court as the media came into the AdventHealth Training Center. He walked to his spots on the elbow and put up set shots and what felt like quarter-speed.
It was nowhere near close to game speed or anything near game ready. But he was on the court. That was visible and tangible progress.
As the Orlando Magic have practiced more with the homestand and NBA Cup break this week, Banchero has been spotted on the floor more and more. As the media came into the training center after shootaround on Thursday, Banchero was doing stretching exercises that involved lifting a ball over his head. What little shooting or dribbling drills he was doing was being done with more intensity.
During the media viewing session of Thursday’s shootaround, we saw #Magic forward Paolo Banchero going through some light stretching drills with a small exercise ball in his hands under the watchful eye of team director of strength and conditioning Todor Pandov. https://t.co/sJVC3pfz8K pic.twitter.com/O4LXQ8icYf
— Jason Beede (@therealBeede) December 19, 2024
It is all some measure of progress seven weeks after his diagnosis of a torn right oblique. Banchero's return is not imminent, but the light is coming at the end of the tunnel as he does more and more.
"As you guys have seen what he has been able to do on the court," coach Jamahl Mosley said after the team's shootaround Thursday. "Dribbling the basketball, jogging up and down a little bit at his own pace. He's just continuing to respond to the treatments as we go. Just kind of feel how his energy is. A lot of it will come more toward conditioning in a lot of ways."
Banchero's return is not imminent. He has not started taking contact yet. It is not quite clear what his conditioning level is and what he has been able to do to get his conditioning up.
It is not even clear how strenuous Banchero's running is. Let alone whether his cutting or making the sharp turns necessary to his game and to playing basketball.
But nothing would replace playing at full speed. And after a seven-week absence, Banchero is not jumping straight into the lineup without taking some bumps and hits in practice.
There are still hurdles to overcome.
This oblique injury is a tricky one because it is such a vital core muscle. And because there does not seem to be any apparent pain from the injury, it can be difficult to assess whether it is healing without imaging and patient, slow work. If you watch Banchero on the sidelines during games, he is still standing up and celebrating big plays with teammates as if nothing was wrong.
This is truly an injury that is about how the body self-heals and responds. And then getting back to stressing that body part and ramping it up toward play.
It has been a daily process for Banchero and the Magic. Clearly there are steps in the right direction even if Banchero may miss his hopes of returning near Christmas next week.
"I think when you haven't used a certain part of your body I think being able to adjust to it is very important," Mosley said after shootaround Thursday. "That's why I keep going back to: How do they respond to whatever they have done the previous day? I think it's very important to notice it, to register it and understand how much you can push yourself at a certain time."
The benefit of this long homestand is Banchero will get ample time to do all this work in the comforts of the home gym and all the resources available at the AdventHealth Training Center. Clearly, he is taking steps to be on the court.
Until then, Banchero continues to talk to teammates whether it is in film sessions or on the sidelines during games and engaging with coaches. The Magic are doing plenty to keep him involved with the team.
It has been a difficult two months for Banchero having to sit and watch from the sideline. Especially considering the tear he was on to start the season, certainly reaching a second career All-Star Game after recording his first 50-point game and possibly reaching All-NBA status.
Banchero is hungry to get back on the court.
"His spirits have been great," Mosley said after shootaround Thursday. "He understands that it is a process. Does he want to be on the court? Absolutely. Anybody that has been out for any period of time—whether that's a week to two weeks to seven weeks—you want to be on the floor with your guys. I think he has done a great job responding to that, to staying engaged, to communicating in film sessions. All the little things that he is able to do that he can control, he's doing a great job of it."
It will take a little more patience before he makes that return though. There is still a bit of a road ahead to get there.
The Magic do not put timelines on injury recoveries. So it is impossible to know how soon that might be.
Banchero certainly hoped to be back by Christmas and returning during this homestand felt like a possibility. But Orlando is not rushing to get its star back on the floor before he is ready. If that bleeds into 2025, the team and Banchero will wait.
But there is clear progress in his recovery. Banchero is taking steps toward a return. Even if it is inch by inch and day by day.