Magic Eager to Enter 'Transition Period' with Paolo Banchero's Reintegration

In theory, Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is nearly everything they've been missing for two months. In practice, the Magic expect a transition period when he gets back. But as Cole Anthony said, "That's a franchise guy. We want him on the court."

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero flashes a thumbs up during the Magic's shootaround Jan. 1 at Detroit. / Orlando Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. – At its foundation, it's a silly question: When he's ready, how do the Orlando Magic reintegrate forward Paolo Banchero into the fold?

In theory, adding the former 2022 No. 1 overall pick, Rookie of the Year, All-Star and leading scorer should be an easy, near-instantaneous boost. He's not all the Magic are missing, but he's a sizable chunk of it.

In practice?...

"I think there's always going to be a transition period," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Wednesday. "You'd love to say he's going to come back and there's not going to be any bumps or it's going to flow smoothly, but ... finding that flow again takes time and we all understand that.

"It's going to be us being able to watch the film, get on the court together, go through the flow series and things that we saw both offensively and defensively, and I think that's going to take some time."

Such luxury – getting on the court together – the Magic haven't been afforded for nearly the entire regular season to this point. Over two months have passed since a freak right oblique tear at the end of October threw a 29-point-per-game-sized wrench into the Magic's outlook. Credit where it's due, Orlando has done more than enough to stay afloat since Banchero went down 34 games ago. The Magic have gone 19-15 in that time, and that's before accounting for Franz Wagner, Moe Wagner or Jalen Suggs' absences as well.

"I was joking with [Banchero] like, he's going to have to fit into our starting lineup," said guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, alluding to Banchero's time out of the lineup being more natural than him being in it. "Just having him back means a lot for us."

"Any time a player goes out for that amount of time, it's a small adjustment window as they come back," guard Anthony Black told locker room reporters recently. "I think it'll be easy because I think everyone here knows what it is, and we've got a plan. We already know what we're trying to do, and Paolo coming back just raises our level of play."

Orlando is gearing up for the possibility of having to fit him back in, which could come Friday night versus the Milwaukee Bucks. He was questionable for Thursday's Minnesota Timberwolves matchup, but downgrading him to out was a matter of "making sure he's available for the long haul," Mosley said.

Meeting with reporters at Thursday's shootaround, Banchero acknowledged that he'll adhere to the Magic's process of bringing him back.

"Hopefully, I'm not restricted for too long and I can get out there and play my regular minutes at some point," he said. "But I'm not going to push it or force it. Whatever they have in store for me as far as playing, I'm going to follow it."

Banchero told Andscape in November he picked up his injury while making a jump pass during the Magic's Oct. 30 loss at Chicago. In further reflection Thursday, Banchero said fatigue may have played a factor as well.

"I was playing really well, so I was maybe not telling guys, or the team, when I was tired," Banchero said. "I definitely [have] got to start listening to my body. No matter how good I'm playing, if I'm dead-tired, I've got to come out of the game."

Although the cautious approach is understood team-wide, the Magic are also understandably excited to welcome him back with open arms – not just for all the aforementioned accolades he's garnered, but for what he helps Orlando achieve on the floor.

The sight alone of the upgrade from "out" to "questionable" was a big deal for the Magic, Mosley said Thursday. The noticeable energy uptick abounding through the Magic's practice facility on both Wednesday and Thursday can be partly attributed to that.

Bottom line, for the Magic to achieve their season-long goals, these are adjustments that the Magic have to make. With what he's capable of doing to help the cause, however, those are the alterations Orlando's been champing at the bit for.

"I think the challenge is more for the people around him, because we're the ones who are going to have to adjust," guard Cole Anthony told Magic on SI Thursday. "We know what we're going to get out of Paolo. He's such a capable player and [he's] got a great feel for the game. Obviously, incredibly talented. He's just going to be an automatic positive when he comes back into the lineup, so can't wait to get my boy back out there."

"I don't think it'll be challenging," Caldwell-Pope said. "I think we already know how P5 works, what he wants [for] his shots, where he wants the ball. He does demand the court a lot when he has the ball in his hand, so he's also putting us in position for him to have space to work. I think we already know how to play off that."

The Magic's offense was 16th in offensive rating through the five games Banchero and the rest of the team's now-injured contributors were available for. Since then, Orlando's offense has regressed to 27th – equally representative of a larger sample size and the offensive talent the Magic have played so long without.

When possessing the ball, Orlando knows Banchero will draw two bodies and five sets of eyes from the opponent. Whether he takes it for himself to score or dishes to teammates, as he makes the right reads, the Magic offense benefits.

"He causes a lot of problems on offense with his size and ability to win one-on-one matchups," Black said. "Having him back is going to be easier for everybody. We're gonna let him do what he does and it's going to be fun."

"It makes us so much more dangerous," center Goga Bitadze said. "[He's] like unstoppable. I mean, he's just so naturally, physically gifted. When you add all the other basketball stuff, he's unguardable. So all we have to really work on is when he gets double-teamed, where should we go to that spacing, because we know nobody can stop him one-on-one. ... It makes our job easier, honestly. We don't have to adjust our game. I think we know he's the go-to guy."

Most teams have a go-to guy, but few are at the level of Banchero.

"That's a franchise guy," Anthony said. "We want him on the court."

They may soon get their wish. When they do, they'll be ready.

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