Franz Wagner's Road to Recovery: Magic Taking Long View with Star Forward
MIAMI - While the rest of the Orlando Magic were getting shots up at Kaseya Center ahead of their road matchup with the Miami Heat, Franz Wagner was stationed behind the baseline, pedaling away on a stationary bike. That was the extent of his involvement in the morning shootaround - a clear sign that the 22-year-old forward isn’t quite ready to rejoin the action just yet.
“He’s been on the bike,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said when asked about Wagner’s activity level. After the team wrapped up shootaround, Wagner was expected to get in some standstill shooting, but nothing more.
So while there’s been some light, non-contact work for Wagner, it doesn’t appear he’s on the verge of returning. Wednesday marked his fourth straight missed game since re-aggravating the same left ankle that kept him out for over a month earlier this season.
Wagner originally suffered a left high ankle sprain back on December 7 in New York. He sat out 16 games before making his return during the Magic’s overseas swing - first in Berlin, his hometown, and then in London.
He logged 27 minutes in his first game back, followed by 26 minutes a few days later. But then came another bump in the road.
According to Mosley, Wagner reported feeling “really, really, really sore” following a shootaround last Thursday ahead of Orlando’s home game against Charlotte. Since then, the team has taken a cautious approach. Importantly, there’s been no new setback - just lingering soreness that’s being treated as part of his ongoing rehab.
And that’s the key here. The Magic aren’t rushing things.
They’ve got their eyes on the bigger picture - getting Wagner’s ankle fully right so he can be a factor down the stretch. This is a team that knows what it’s like to get hot late in the season.
Last year, Orlando closed out the regular season with a 12-6 run to finish 41-41, good enough for the No. 7 seed and a home game in the Play-In Tournament. They didn’t make it out of the first round, but the experience was valuable.
This time around, they’re hoping to go further. And for that to happen, they need Wagner at full strength - not just available, but effective.
That’s why the medical staff and coaching staff are being deliberate. No extra imaging has been done on the ankle during this current stretch, which suggests the team is confident it’s just a matter of time and proper management.
Of course, time is a tricky thing in the NBA. The Feb. 5 trade deadline is fast approaching, and the playoff race in the East is tightening.
Heading into Wednesday’s game against Miami, the Magic were sitting in the No. 8 spot - just one game behind the Heat and a half-game ahead of the Bulls. Every game matters, and every piece of the rotation counts.
Without Wagner, the Magic had gone 8-11 this season. His absence is felt on both ends of the court - his length, his versatility, his ability to create off the dribble and knock down shots. But the team isn’t dwelling on the what-ifs.
“It’s great to try to look back and see what could or could not have happened,” Mosley said. “But those are things that you can no longer control.
So, we’re just really focusing on, what are we doing moving forward? And what do we need to do with him moving forward?
And that’s being smart and thinking of the long-term view of what we can do to prevent anything else from happening.”
In other words: patience now, payoff later.
After wrapping up their road test in Miami, the Magic return home for a matchup with the Raptors before heading back out for a quick two-game swing - first in San Antonio, then against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wagner’s timeline remains uncertain, but the plan is clear. Orlando’s betting on the long game - and on one of their cornerstone players being ready when it matters most.