Paolo Banchero returns to the court at Orlando Magic practice

Gravity is a concept on the basketball court that describes when a player requires attention even when they are not on the ball. It describes how defenses orbit around a player and how a player pulls players toward him.

That is the kind of gravity Banchero has on the court, as he constantly drags in double teams and sucks attention from everyone. You cannot help but notice Banchero when he plays.

Banchero has that attention too off the court. Everyone is waiting and anticipating his return from the torn oblique that has kept him out of the lineup since Oct. 31. Banchero has eyed a return around Christmas. But that depends on his progress.

So as practice ended Saturday at the AdventHealth Training Center, everyone's eyes were on Banchero as he worked slowly through a shooting regimen with several coaches, director of player performance Arnie Kander and more (including the media) watching Banchero go through his workout.

He was not running or doing anything strenuous. He received passes from Magic assistant coach Jeremiah Boswell and comfortably put up jumper after jumper.

Making or missing shots seemed less important than seeing him on the floor publicly for the first time since his injury. This was progress.

This is not a sign Banchero's return is imminent. Clearly, he is not doing anything too strenuous—he is not running, taking bumps, or drilling at game speed—but Banchero's progress from the injury is also evident.

For now, the Magic are not reporting any change to his status. There is no firm timetable for his return. This is the progress they expected to see, as slow as it seems to be going.

"He was not able to practice ," coach Jamahl Mosley updated after practice Friday. "He is doing the same ball-handling and light movement on the floor and trying to find ways to get the cardio up without applying too much pressure. He's slowly moving his way to touching the court."

The Magic being home for the next three weeks feels like it could be an accelerant for Banchero to ramp up and return. Banchero has been on the road with the team and with the Magic's road-heavy schedule that means limited gym and practice time.

From a basic standpoint, being able to roll into the AdventHealth Training Center with unlimited time to go through a workout or rehab seems like it would boost his chances to return.

Clearly, Banchero found a way to touch the court between that update Friday and the Magic's practice Saturday. Having multiple practice days—Orlando has four practices and two games scheduled before next Thursday—gives him more opportunities to get work on the court as he begins to clear steps to return to the court.

That is something he and the Magic will surely take advantage of.

"That's the beauty of this facility. Our ability to recover the right way and get everything that we need here and these guys find their rhythm and their routine with them being home," Mosley said after practice Friday. "It's going to be invaluable for us to be here for this stretch of time."

It is unclear how quickly or far along Banchero is. He likely will progress through each phase of his return quickly, clearing one hurdle after another. That is why the rest of his month where the Orlando Magic will not travel until a Jan. 1 game against the Detroit Pistons feels so critical.

Banchero is hopeful he can return by Christmas. Roughly two weeks seems possible with the work he can put in at the home practice facility.

Banchero will still return at his own pace. There is no timetable for that return as much as he hopes his return is only a few weeks away.

Until then, Banchero will continue to help the team as he has, supporting them from the sidelines.

Mosley has had Banchero engaged with the team through film study and Banchero has had constant discussions with coaches during timeouts, even hopping up off the bench to point something out to Mosley during games.

Banchero has been absent from the court but he has not been absent from the team, that much is clear.

"He's been very vocal," rookie Tristan da Silva said after practice Saturday. "He brings us a lot of energy off the bench, which I think is really good for us, especially on the road. Every time somebody subs out, he's right there telling people what he sees and giving his input on the game which is amazing because he is playing at such a high level. Definitely advice from a guy like that on the sideline is always good."

But everyone throughout the organization is eager to see Banchero return. He was playing at an All-NBA level, averaging 29.0 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game and 5.6 assists per game in his five games before his injury. That included a 50-point outing. Everyone knows what Banchero can bring to the team.

Fans are more eager ofr his return, but everyone would be excited to se Banchero back.

It will still take some patience. Banchero still has a ways to go to clear every hurdle he needs to return to the court. There are still a lot of steps.

But Banchero has clearly taken some concrete steps in that direction. And everyone can count the days as they wait for that final approval.