In another depressing news story for the Orlando Magic this season, multiple reports revealed another oblique tear for an Orlando Magic star.
ESPN story on the Magic losing Franz Wagner, in addition to Paolo Banchero, to the same freak injury -- a torn oblique: https://t.co/QJEMchvtCo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 7, 2024
But how does this affect the other teams looking for a chance to draft Cooper Flagg, specifically the Utah Jazz?
In short, probably not a lot, but some things will affect the Jazz specifically. Through Christmas and beyond, the Magic will have a brutal stretch of games without their star forwards. The list includes Phoenix, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Miami, Boston, and the Knicks.
They do face the Utah Jazz on January 5th. In Shams’ article, he mentions that Paolo Banchero, who has the same injury as Franz Wagner, hasn’t played since October 30th. At the time, it was reported that Banchero would be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks. Recent reporting is that Banchero is eyeing a return around Christmas. That means the Magic will likely go on a tough run against some of the better teams in the East, but they’ll have Banchero back in time to play the Jazz. If you’re like me, every loss matters, and you’re hoping that Banchero can return to form before he plays Utah.
It’s some bad luck for Utah that the teams they’re competing against won’t get an easier chance against the Orlando Magic, minus Banchero and Wagner, but at least Utah likely gets the tougher challenge come January 5th.