Injury Halts All-Star Campaign

Orlando, FL— On Saturday afternoon the Orlando Magic announced that fourth-year forward Franz Wagner has suffered a torn right oblique and will be out indefinitely.

Franz suffered the injury on Friday evening in Philadelphia and this is now the second time the Magic have lost one of their best players to this injury. 

“Wagner will be out indefinitely and his return to play will depend on how he responds to treatment,” the Magic said Saturday in a statement announcing the injury. “He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.”

Paolo Banchero Injury Status and Updates

Third-year forward Paolo Banchero suffered a torn oblique just five games into the season in Chicago back on October 30th and is still in the process of ramping back up. Banchero doesn’t have a timeline for a return quite yet, but he did offer some positive updates last week, per Mason Williams of Magic on SI.

“I’m feeling good, man,” Banchero said. “I finally got to do some court stuff on this trip at practice – some ball handling, some spot shooting. It felt really good just to do that stuff again because I literally hadn’t done anything in a month. It was my first time really getting to dribble a ball, shoot a ball, so [it] felt really good doing that.

Franz Wagners’ Play in the Absence of Banchero

Without question, Franz has been Orlando’s best player in the last 20 games the team has played since Banchero got hurt in late October, averaging 26.1 points, 6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in that span — leading the Magic to a 13-7 record in those contests, 13-3 in their last 16 games.

Wagner had been playing at an All-Star level in recent weeks, having scored 30 or more points in three straight games, tied for the longest streak of his career, and tied for the longest streak by a Magic player in the last 10 seasons. Wagner has also scored 20-plus points in nine straight games, the longest streak of his career.

Through 25 games this season, Wagner was averaging 24.4 points on 46.5% shooting and 32.1% three-point shooting splits. Wagner also accounted for 5.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.7 steals a game, and also had a career-high eight 30-point games this season.

Over the last 20 games without Banchero, Wagner has the highest usage percentage (32.1%) of his career and it will be another adjustment period for the Magic without their two best players and scorers. 

Magic’s Strong Mentality Despite Wagner’s Injury

“I think everybody’s doing a great job, you know, and again trusting the process,” Jalen Suggs on the team’s confidence after losing Paolo. “Understanding that [there’s] going to be ups and downs. Ebbs and flows, it happens in hoops. Staying steady, continuing to work, and you know, the results are showing.”

Jalen Suggs and the Orlando Magic will have to continue having the mindset and this sense of continuity within their group in order to get through this stage of the season without both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner now.

Orlando will tip off their first game back at the Kia Center in 11 days as they will host the Phoenix Suns at 6:30 P.M. EST.