When Paolo Banchero returned from his torn oblique last January, he got a hero's welcome.
The Kia Center loudspeakers played The Undertaker's theme as he was being introduced, and the crowd gave him a rousing ovation. Banchero followed with 34 points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. His only regret was that nobody told him of the intro, so he could milk the drama of his return.
Banchero missed more than two months of action then. His impending return from a strained left groin will come three weeks after he left the game in the first half at Madison Square Garden.
But after those three weeks of waiting for the team's star to return, a strong run through the schedule that has vaulted the Orlando Magic back into the Playoff picture (and into the NBA Cup knockout round), and weeks of national media wondering if the Magic are actually better without their star, Banchero is set to return.
The Orlando Magic upgraded Banchero's status to QUESTIONABLE for Friday's game against the Miami Heat, signaling his imminent return after missing the last 10 games.
The team certainly held its own in Banchero's stead, going 7-3. The Magic settled in offensively and defensively and put together some impressive wins. The time without Banchero was really a test of the team's depth.
But the Magic were certainly missing Banchero despite all of their success. And it was easy to see the offense begin to run out of steam in the games against the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs this week. This team needed another attacker.
More than that, the Magic needed to rebalance its lineup to be the best version of itself. Banchero's return will set a huge problem straight.
Return to the starters
It is undeniable how successful the Orlando Magic have been despite Paolo Banchero's injury.
Since Nov. 13, the Magic have a 119.0 offensive rating and 110.6 defensive rating. That is the seventh-best offense and the fourth-best defense since then. Orlando picked up ground with a 7-3 record.
The way the Magic's offense suddenly revived made many national observers and pundits wonder whether Banchero and his reputation for being a ball stopper were the problem.
Banchero will certainly have to continue to work to move the ball. He cannot settle for long jumpers or stop and survey for too long. He must attack quicker.
But Banchero was already showing hints that he was understanding that and finding his fit within the offense. In the six games preceding the one in which he got hurt, Banchero averaged 23.5 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game and 5.3 assists per game on 52.9 percent shooting.
Banchero's impact was clearly seen in the lineups he was in, particularly the starting group.
Paolo Banchero's return means the Magic can return to their main starting lineup of Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Banchero and Wendell Carter.
In 101 minutes, that group posted a 122.4 offensive rating and 103.1 defensive rating. The group's +19.3 net rating is still the best lineup in the league that has played at least 100 minutes together (17 total lineups, including the second-place Oklahoma City Thunder starting lineup) and the second-best lineup that has played at least 75 minutes (the Denver Nuggets' starting lineup beats them).
The lineup with Tristan da Silva in for Banchero?
That lineup posted a -10.1 net rating (105.6 offensive rating/115.7 defensive rating) in 96 minutes across 10 games. Most of those minutes happened after Banchero's injury.
In the last 10 games, Orlando has posted a +1.1 net rating in 43 first-quarter minutes during Banchero's injury (114.7/113.6 offensive/defensive rating split). The starting group posted a -13.5 net rating in the first quarter, including a woeful 101.0 offensive rating.
The starting lineup with Banchero has a +19.9 net rating (132.3/112.4) in virtually the same number of minutes (42).
Games are not lost in the first quarter. But the Magic's makeshift starting lineup was putting the team behind the 8-ball. It leads to the real reason the team was winning and a big thing that Banchero's return should strengthen.
Banchero boosts Magic's already strong depth
The story in the first 10 games of the season was how the Orlando Magic could not score off their bench.
They averaged only 32.7 points per game off the bench, good for 26th. The biggest concern when Paolo Banchero went out was whether the team could afford to lose Tristan da Silva's scoring off the bench.
Instead, Anthony Black blossomed into a Sixth Man of the Year candidate and the Magic's bench found its groove. Orlando averaged 38.0 points per game off the bench, good for 10th in the league since Nov. 13.
Black averaged 15.4 points per game and shot 34.3 percent from three. He scored in double figures in all but two of the games while Banchero was out. Black's push was one of the major turning points in several key wins during Banchero's absence.
The Magic will hope that continues too.
They also hope that it means Tristan da Silva can continue to produce and fill in with the bench lineups. His shooting stayed roughly the same between the first 12 games and the last 10 games with Banchero out.
But adding back Banchero can clearly make this team more potent if he is able to pick up where he left off. That is what this is all contingent on.
Banchero's return should put players back into more comfortable roles. Roles where they can be more consistent. And the Magic should always be able to have at least one of their major players on the floor.
The team might be reconfiguring some of its rotation with Banchero back in the lineup. But it saw during the last 10 games a clear way it can play. Duplicating that will be the task with a powerhouse like Banchero in the lineup.
It seems clear he is about to supercharge this team once he gets settled and has his legs under him after three weeks out of action.