Magic Practice Notebook: Banchero Seen Lightly Shooting Saturday, Plus Other Notes and Quotes

Orlando Magic All-Star forward Paolo Banchero had his first signs of progress made visible on Saturday. That, plus more notes and quotes from the team's Saturday practice at AdventHealth Training Center before Sunday's contest with the New York Knicks.

Mason Williams | 3 Hours Ago

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks on from the bench during game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. – As media were permitted to walk into the AdventHealth Training Center after Saturday's Orlando Magic practice concluded, a bit of a crowd was formed around the far end of the first court.

For good reason. All-Star forward Paolo Banchero was going through light shooting drills, a sign of the progress he's making toward an eventual return from a torn right oblique that's sidelined him for more than six weeks.

#Magic just wrapped Saturday’s practice at AdventHealth Training Center.

As we walked in, Paolo Banchero was going through some light shooting with plenty of the staff watching along: pic.twitter.com/aFiLerBxvR
— Mason Williams (@mvsonwilliams) December 14, 2024

When asked after Friday's practice about his involvement, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Banchero wasn't able to practice with the team. He was still doing the same ball-handling and light movement on the floor – a process that Banchero told Magic on SI and the Orlando Sentinel that began during the team's five-game road trip in the Northeast – while also trying to build up his cardio "without applying too much pressure. But again, he's just slowly moving his way to touching the court."

This past Sunday, Mosley didn't put an exact timeline on when Banchero could return from his indefinite absence, citing that "each guy is unique and each guy is different in the way in which they recover." In response to treatment, Banchero would continue to be evaluated one day at a time.

Mosley didn't speak with reporters at Saturday's practice ahead of Sunday's game versus the New York Knicks – the first of a seven-game homestand to close out December in Orlando. But, Saturday's practice marked the first time since his injury that Banchero was seen doing any sort of basketball activity – regardless of how intense it was (or wasn't).

For the third-year pro who's missed 22 games with the injury, that's a solid sign of progress.

Here's some more notes and quotes from Saturday's session at team's practice facility.

First day of back-to-back practices since training camp

Orlando's workload has been grueling to begin the season. Before the Magic's rematch with the Knicks on Sunday, the longest Orlando has had between days so far this season was just two days.

Tomorrow's game comes with a four-day rest period, which has allowed Orlando to return to a training camp setting. This marked the first time the Magic have been able to practice back-to-back days since October in a season that's only offered a handful of practice days, period.

"This is our first time [having] time to get in the gym to actually practice instead of being on the road and just watching film and doing stuff like that," veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. "This is our first time being in the gym around each other like this, this is great. Being able to get rest, sleep comfortable in our own beds and have a clear mind before this game tomorrow."

Caldwell-Pope, like his teammates and coach said Friday, said he appreciates the time off to see family and get the proper recovery they need.

Rookie wing Tristan da Silva, on the other hand, is less than a year removed from balancing an everyday schedule of practice and time in the classroom at Colorado.

"It's great to kind of lay low for a day or two [and] kind of focus on yourself," da Silva said. "It was also weird because we actually had a practice. I'm used to four years of practice damn near every day. So it was kind of fun to get back in the gym and kind of have this training camp vibe."

Orlando doesn't again travel until Dec. 31, when Orlando will head to Detroit for a New Year's Night game with the Detroit Pistons. Thus, the Magic will have plentiful time on the court to hammer points of emphasis from the first third of the regular season.

Magic 'can't beat [themselves]',' must stick to gameplan in Knicks rematch

The last time Orlando and New York squared off, the NBA Cup East Group A crown was on the line.

With America watching on TNT, the contest quickly turned lopsided. Orlando fell behind by as many as 37 points in the third quarter in an eventual 121-106 loss. The final deficit only shrunk because the Magic kept starters in for the purpose of advancing to the Cup knockout round on point differential, but they never threatened victory that Tuesday night in the Garden.

More than a week and a half has passed since that matchup, but Orlando is vastly different from the first meeting. They'll enter Sunday's contest without Franz Wagner (torn right oblique), who scored 30 points on Dec. 3 and was one of the reasons the Magic kept the Wild Card.

But before Wagner's scoring burst came, the game was already out of hand. To prevent a repeat performance, Caldwell-Pope said the focus must turn internal.

"We can't beat ourself," the three-and-D specialist said. "We had a lot of miscommunication [and] turnovers that cost us down the stretch.

"Also, for us, actually doing the gameplan," he added. "Our gameplan was to try and take away their threes and force them into tough twos, and a lot of that we didn't do so a lot of that falls on us and what we can apply to the team."

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to pass the ball against the Orlando Magic

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to pass the ball against Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) and forward Franz Wagner (22) and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

He's right. In the Dec. 3 contest, New York had six players score at least 11 points and shot 15-35 from three and 50.6 percent from the field. Orlando conceded 32 points off of 16 turnovers, and all five Knicks starters were at least +18.

"They're an experienced group, they know how to play," da Silva said. "We just gotta know what our gameplan is and stick to that and make sure we execute it. Last game was kind of... {silence]... you know. Just gotta get back at it."

Orlando sits third in the East standings heading into Sunday, and New York is a game behind them in fourth. The Magic, with a win, can even the season series at one apiece with two more games to play.

Doing so would give themselves an extra game of cushion as the rest of the conference jockeys for position around them.

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Published 3 Hours Ago