In a crushing blow, Orlando Magic wing Franz Wagner has suffered a torn right oblique muscle and will be out indefinitely, the team announced Saturday afternoon. Magic officials said Wagner, 23, will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Wagner suffered the injury during the Magic’s narrow loss Friday night in Philadelphia. After that game, in which he played 38 minutes and scored a game-high 30 points, Wagner spoke with reporters and made no mention of an oblique injury. He also did not appear to be in any unusual discomfort.
With 22-year-old All-Star forward Paolo Banchero still out, also with a torn right oblique, the up-and-coming Magic must navigate a challenging mid-December schedule — including Tuesday night’s NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Bucks in Milwaukee — without their two best players.
The Magic hope Banchero, who suffered his oblique injury on Oct. 30 and has missed Orlando’s last 20 games, will return to play by Christmas, league sources told The Athletic.
Orlando has thrived despite Banchero’s absence. In the 20 games since Banchero sustained his injury, the Magic posted a 13-7 record. In their last 16 games, the Magic have gone 13-3, and they now sit in third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The main reasons for the Magic’s recent success? A tenacious defense with outstanding positional size, and Wagner himself.
In Orlando’s last 16 games, Wagner put himself into the running for his first career All-Star selection and Most Improved Player consideration, excelling on both ends of the floor. He averaged 27.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game over that stretch while shooting 46 percent from the field and 91 percent from the free-throw line.
During that span, the Magic ranked first in the NBA in points allowed per possession and 15th in points scored per possession.
When Banchero returns, the Magic will need him to find his All-Star form as soon as possible. They will also need perimeter players Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to continue to play outstanding defense.
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(Top photo: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
