The Orlando Magic have been playing without Franz Wagner since he suffered a sprained left ankle on December 7 against the New York Knicks. The Magic shared a concerning update regarding Wagner’s return timeline.
Speaking to reporters after the Magic’s 107-106 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, coach Jamahl Mosley was asked about the status of Wagner’s recovery. Mosley revealed that there’s no timetable for the German forward’s return.
“There’s no return date set or scheduled right now,” Mosley said, via Toni Canyameras of BasketNews.
The Magic added that he liked what he had seen from Wagner during his rehab and recovery.
“Franz is an elite worker, and whatever he is trying to be, he studies it, studies the game, studies himself. He is always just looking to find ways to improve, so whatever he is doing, there is a tremendous amount of work to get there.”
In the last nine games playing without Wagner, the Magic have a losing record of 4-5. They are currently sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference standings at 18-15.
Wagner’s Injury Looked Bad
Franz Wagner was diagnosed with a left high ankle sprain after a bad landing on December 7 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk.
There were fears that Wagner might have suffered a major knee injury based on his reaction when it happened.
With less than five minutes left in the first quarter, Wagner tried to catch an alley-oop from Anthony Black on the fastbreak. Ariel Hukporti challenged and batted the ball away out of bounds.
However, Wagner awkwardly fell on his left leg and was in pain, grabbing his left knee. The Knicks announcers even thought it was a bad injury based on the player’s reaction.
Luckily for Wagner and the Magic, he only suffered a high ankle sprain, and there was no structural damage to his leg. He was ruled out for at least two to four weeks.
The end of the Week 4 is on January 4, though it would be surprising if he gets cleared early next month.
Wagner Putting Up All-Star Numbers Before Injury
The Orlando Magic were struggling to start the season amid rumors of turmoil between Paolo Banchero and coach Jamahl Mosley, as reported by RG’s Grant Afseth back in November.
A few days after the report came out, Banchero suffered a groin injury. The Magic then went 7-3 with the former No. 1 pick out and Franz Wagner at the helm. Wagner was putting up All-Star numbers during that stretch, averaging 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Yahoo! Sports’ Nekias Duncan is predicting a potential All-Star berth for Wagner over Banchero due to the German star’s consistency.
“This isn’t the space to have a Wagner vs Paolo Banchero debate, but I think it’s fair to note that Wagner (who is currently out with a high ankle sprain) has at least been the most consistent of the two this year,” Duncan wrote.
Wagner was also playing like an All-Star last season, but a midseason right oblique injury slowed his momentum down from garnering enough votes from coaches to be named as an All-Star reserve.
Magic Share Concerning Update on Franz Wagner’s Recovery Timeline