Magic Staying Patient with Paolo Banchero’s Recovery as Team Keeps Rolling
The Orlando Magic are staying the course with Paolo Banchero’s recovery, opting for caution over urgency as the star forward remains sidelined with a left groin strain. Monday night’s matchup against the Bulls marked the ninth straight game Banchero has missed since suffering the injury back on November 12 in New York.
And while fans are eager to see him back in action, the Magic are taking a long-view approach - one that prioritizes full recovery over rushing him back into the lineup.
“He’s still doing a lot of non-contact things,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said following Monday morning’s shootaround at the AdventHealth Training Center. “We just continue to see and monitor how he responds to each treatment each day.”
That’s been the theme throughout Banchero’s rehab: steady progress, no shortcuts. The team is encouraged by his activity level, but they’re waiting for the green light on contact work - typically the final hurdle before a player can return to game action.
With the Magic back in Orlando this week for a three-game homestand - including Wednesday’s matchup with the Spurs and Friday’s tilt against the Heat - there’s a window for Banchero to potentially ramp up his activity. But Mosley made it clear that timeline hinges on how his body continues to respond.
“Obviously, travel has been a part of things so it’s hard to get a gauge on it,” Mosley said. “But us being back home this week is so important, just for that - to be able to be in this gym, this facility, to get the proper recovery things he needs and we need.”
This isn’t uncharted territory for Banchero. He missed a significant chunk of last season - over two months - with a torn right oblique, a far more serious injury than the current groin strain. Before that, he’d been a model of consistency, missing just 12 games across his first two NBA seasons.
And despite being sidelined, Banchero has stayed locked in. His presence on the bench, his communication with teammates, and his engagement during practices haven’t gone unnoticed.
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily, ‘Here we go again,’” Mosley said, referencing Banchero’s previous injury setbacks. “It’s more along the lines of just continuing to know that there is a process that he’s following to get himself back on the court. His spirits have been great.”
Mosley also noted that Banchero has been using this time to view the game from a new angle - like a coach on the sidelines - which could pay dividends once he’s back in uniform.
“The game slows down just that much more for him as well, as he’s watching it as a coach for these moments,” Mosley added. “He’s just continuing to put the work in to get back on the court.”
That leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates either. Center Wendell Carter Jr. praised Banchero for staying involved, even while rehabbing.
“He’s one of those guys who wants to be involved, even though he’s not playing,” Carter said. “He’s at every practice, he’s talking, giving his two cents, been doing a great job during games when he’s seeing different coverages, helping us being able to read the game a little bit more because he’s usually the one out there with us.”
The Magic have responded well in Banchero’s absence, going 6-2 without him and winning five of their last six. Second-year forward Tristan da Silva has stepped into the starting role and held his own, helping Orlando maintain momentum in a competitive Eastern Conference.
Still, there’s no question the Magic are a better team with Banchero on the floor. And when he does return, the hope is that the transition will be seamless - thanks in part to the work he’s putting in now.
“When he comes back, he wants to just continue to help this team win,” Carter said. “He’s just trying to make sure we’re all staying on the straightened arrow, just continuing to win games so when he gets back, it’s an easy way for him to just come in and join the team.”
For now, the Magic will keep leaning on their depth, their defense, and their chemistry - all while keeping an eye on Banchero’s progress. The team is playing winning basketball, and if Banchero can return at full strength soon, Orlando could be setting itself up for a strong push as the season unfolds.