Paolo Banchero progresses slowly as Magic patiently await his return

Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel on Dec 19, 2024

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Paolo Banchero was wearing bright, highlighter green shoes in an all-black athletic outfit when he was slowing moving his left and right arms up and down one at a time with a small orange exercise ball in his hands.

Slowly and surely, Banchero went through a variety of light stretching drills under the watchful eye of Todor Pandov, the Magic‘s director of strength and conditioning, during Thursday morning’s shootaround at AdventHealth Training Center — just a block away from Kia Center where he’d later watch his teammates take on the Thunder in front of a national TV audience.

Thursday marked the seventh week, and 49 days, since Banchero was diagnosed with a torn right abdominal muscle in Cleveland, a day after he sustained the injury in Chicago. The initial projected timeline for re-evaluation set by Orlando was 4-6 weeks, which has happened, but the next step to returning to action is unclear.

“His spirits have been great,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Thursday. “He understands that it is a process, and does he want to be on the court? Absolutely. Anybody that’s been out for any number of period of time, whether that’s a week, to two weeks, to seven weeks, you want to be on the floor with your guys.

“He’s done a great job of responding [to] that, to staying engaged, to communicating, being in and communicating in film sessions, all of those little things that he’s able to do, that he can control, he’s doing a great job of it.”

What Banchero can’t control is how his body responds to the daily work he does to continue to check boxes off towards an eventual return.

Banchero has been able to do ballhandling and jogging at his own pace, according to the Magic coach.

But, Mosley said, “he hasn’t been able to do contact yet.”

Typically, full contact is the precursor to an injured player’s return to game action.

“He’ll just continue to respond to treatments as we go and just kind of feel how his energy is,” Mosley said. “A lot of it’s going to come more towards conditioning in a lot of ways.”

Mosley talks constantly with the team’s medical staff to understand how Banchero responds to what he does the day prior.

“That’s the most important piece for him because these things, they are tricky,” Mosley said. “Knowing what he’s doing on a day-to-day basis and how he responds the next day is going to be very important.”

Thursday’s contest against the Thunder was the 24th he’s missed with the injury. The Magic entered 14-9 without him.

Banchero is learning what he can and can’t do following an extended period of not working his right abdominal muscle.

“When you haven’t used a certain part of your body, being able to adjust to it is going to be very important,” Mosley said. “That’s why I keep going back to, how do they respond to whatever they’ve done the previous day? It’s very important to notice it, to register it and understand how much you can push yourself at a certain time.

“That’s what we continue to look at.”

Harris nears return

Guard Gary Harris told reporters at shootaround he’d miss Thursday’s game but his return is imminent.

Harris, who strained his left hamstring Nov. 25 at Charlotte, missed his 10th straight contest.

“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I’m getting close, just trying to get over this hump, this last little bit. Hopefully I can get out there soon.”

Harris has battled injuries for a long time. Last year he missed 28 games, including 16 with a right calf strain.

“Injuries can be frustrating,” he said. “I’ve dealt with my fair share of them, so [I’m] just keeping a positive mindset [and] trying to help my teammates and brothers as much as possible while I’m out.”

Carter plays Santa Claus

On Wednesday night, Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. and his family foundation, A Platform2, hosted a holiday party for 20 youth from his Flight 34 Aviation program in downtown Orlando.

Each one received dinner, a hoodie, a new backpack and more for their academic achievements. The big surprise came when Carter gifted each of the local high school students with a brand new iPad.

“It’s just a blessing that I was able to just reward the kids who have excelled academically,” Carter said. “That’s what my foundation is all about — education being a top priority.”