Paolo Banchero crossed the ball over from his right hand to his left and dribbled forward in attempt to get past Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen down the baseline toward the rim.
Markkanen quickly adjusted, denied Banchero's path and held his own in the paint.
The Magic forward had no choice but to recollect the ball, turn the other direction, back into Markkanen and then complete the full rotation with a floating jump shot roughly six feet from the rim.
With Markkanen's left hand in his face, Banchero let the ball go, backed away and could do nothing but watch as it bounced off the rim.
The attempt was the first of 10 straight that the Orlando forward would miss at Utah spanning from the midpoint of the second quarter to almost halfway through the third frame Saturday night at Delta Center.
Banchero ended the night 4 of 19 from the field (21%) with just 9 points. He missed all six 3-point attempts and turned the ball over 3 times with 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
It was all part of a larger effort that saw Orlando (24-26) fail to find its footing on offense against the then-10 win Jazz when the Magic dropped their third straight contest and 10th in the past 12 games.
But for Banchero, specifically, it was just the latest evening in which he hasn't looked like himself since he made his long-awaited return to the court Jan. 10 against the Bucks following a 2-plus-month absence due to a torn right abdominal muscle.
Beede's Breakdown: How poor shooting at Utah hurt Magic in 3rd straight loss
In the first 11 games since his return, Banchero has averaged 20.0 points while shooting 38.9% from the field alongside 7.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.9 turnovers. He's shot 28.6% from 3 on 5.1 attempts and 62.2% on 6.7 tries from the foul line.
Although perplexing from an outsider's view in regard to a star player such as Banchero, the Magic were aware that his skills might not click in right away upon his return.
"We talked about it before he came back," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Saturday night. "Again, the rhythm, the timing -- that is going to take time. And [let's] not allow it to derail what he is and who he is and how capable he is."
Utah's Markkanen and center Walker Kessler made it difficult throughout the night for Banchero to find an easy shot.
Banchero shot 1 of 7 with Kessler defending him and 0 of 5 with Markkanen defending him, according to NBA advanced stats player-tracking analysis.
Banchero's teammates understand what he is going through as he continues to find his flow again. They also know his success is key to theirs as the Magic aim to string together consecutive wins -- something they haven't done since before Christmas.
"Paolo's human, just like all of us," said Franz Wagner, who totaled 37 points in the road loss. "We've got to make it a point as a team to make sure that he does get good looks because when he's right, that's when we're at our best.
"Paolo did a great job of staying level-headed and obviously it wasn't his best game, but the way I know him, he's going to bounce back," Wagner added.
But time isn't on their side with 50 regular-season games already played and just 32 remaining.
Orlando entered Sunday's slate at No. 8 in the East; 1.5 games behind No. 6 Miami (24-23) and 1.5 games in front of No. 9 Atlanta (22-27).
"We're definitely not happy given we just lost our however many games it is," Magic reserve guard Cole Anthony said. "But this is the job. This is the business side of it, the job aspect where [when] stuff's not going well, we've still got to come in here and perform.
"And not just perform, but perform at a high level," he added. "I expect us to pick this stuff up at some point soon."
Their next opportunity comes Monday at Golden State (24-24), which sat .500 and 11th in the West entering Sunday.
All-Defensive guard Jalen Suggs (left quad contusion) is considered questionable to play after he missed the past three contests. Veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who sat Saturday due to rest, isn't listed on the injury report and is expected to be available.
After battling the Warriors, the Magic then face a back-to-back Wednesday (at Sacramento) and Thursday (at Denver) to wrap up their 5-game trip west. Thursday is the league's trade deadline.
All three contests remaining on the road present an opportunity for Banchero to continue to work through his timing and processing on the floor.
Regardless of when things eventually mesh consistently for Banchero, the Magic have his back.
"There's a reason why he's done the things he has done in this league," Mosley said, "and not forgetting that. Again, it's going to take some to get a rhythm, to find that momentum, to get going.
"Being able to do that is just to continue to put the work in, continue to trust who you are and continue to know how much your teammates trust in who you are."