Paolo Banchero has a strong desire to be on the court.
The forward for the Orlando Magic has expressed his frustration during the last two and a half months while he has been recovering from a torn oblique muscle, an injury that sidelined him for 34 games.
However, he is finally making his return.
The team confirmed that Banchero would be part of the lineup for their game against the Milwaukee Bucks, and excitement is an understatement to describe his feelings.

In a recent interview, Banchero shared that he has managed to maintain a positive outlook despite the circumstances.
“I don’t think I’ve been in bad spirits at all,” he remarked.
Nevertheless, he admitted that the situation has been frustrating.
“I’ve never missed this much time since I started playing basketball.
Going so long without playing made me question ‘why?’ considering how eager I was for the season to start.”

His injury occurred during the fifth game of the season, while Friday marked the 40th game of the Magic, approaching the midway point of the season.
Interestingly, the team performed better than many might have anticipated during his absence.
The Magic, who were grappling with a series of injuries—including Franz Wagner’s torn oblique and Moritz Wagner’s season-ending torn ACL—entered Friday’s game sitting in the fourth position in the Eastern Conference.
After losing their first four games without Banchero, they managed to achieve a commendable record of 19 wins and 11 losses since.

“There’s a team-wide belief that anyone can step up at any moment,” Banchero said.
He praised his teammates for their commitment and readiness, which resulted in various players stepping up to the challenge on different nights.
“It was really encouraging for me to see us respond like that.
Gaining experience in tight games against strong opponents will only enhance our performance moving forward.”

Despite his injury, Banchero stayed actively engaged with the team.
He attended coaches’ meetings when possible and remained on the sidelines to support his teammates during games, cheering them on and offering consolation when needed.
“I had to try to find the positives,” he noted.
“Being able to observe the game from a different perspective allowed me to learn a lot.
I’ve certainly got a chip on my shoulder now; it feels like some opportunities were taken away from me.
Now that I’m back, I might need to make up for the time I lost.”