Paolo Banchero appears close to returning, which is bad news for the rest of the East

Despite being without their franchise centerpiece for nearly the past two months — Paolo Banchero — the Orlando Magic are fourth in the Eastern Conference. It's a testament to the job head coach Jamahl Mosley has done early this season and the buy-in of the rest of the squad. However, the All-Star forward is ostensibly nearing a return, which is bad news for the rest of the NBA.

The Orlando Sentinel's Jason Beede recently captured video footage of Banchero hoisting up some three-pointers and going through ball-handling drills after a Magic shootaround. And by the look of it, the 22-year-old seems to be on the precipice of completing his recovery process.

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Paolo Banchero was recently spotted going through shooting and ball-handling drills, suggesting a return is on the horizon

Banchero suffered a torn right oblique against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 30. He's been sidelined since, though ESPN's Sham Charania initially reported the Magic will re-evaluate him in four-to-six weeks. While his rehab has taken a little longer than Orlando hoped for, they've kept the ship afloat sans him.

Sitting at 17-12, Orlando has gone 14-10 without Banchero in the lineup. The Magic have been able to overcome not having the 2022 No. 1 overall pick, thanks to remarkable defense and his running mate, Franz Wagner.

Orlando boasted an elite 106.2 defensive rating from Nov. 1 to Dec. 19, aligning with their third-ranked season-long mark. Moreover, Wagner averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game on .457/.305/.877 shooting splits across 20 contests. Unfortunately, the latter sustained the same injury, which is bizarre considering it's one of the rarest injuries in the Association.

Since Wagner went down on Dec. 6, the sledding has gotten tougher for the Magic, specifically because of the lack of consistent scoring options. Nonetheless, as one of basketball's best bucket-getters, Banchero will surely alleviate some of those problems.

The next step for Banchero is taking contact, but Mosley recently (h/t Beede) said the standout wing has yet to gain clearance for that. Be that as it may, his eventual return could reshape the complexion of the East.