Franz Wagner
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Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic has only played two of their last 22 games due to injury.
There were fears that Franz Wagner returned from his ankle injury too early after missing the last four games for the Orlando Magic. Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain on December 7 against the New York Knicks. He returned on January 15, but only played two games before being sidelined again.
Speaking to reporters last week, coach Jamahl Mosley revealed that Wagner has been experiencing soreness in his right ankle. The Magic were being cautious with their star forward, who has been vital to their success over the past few seasons.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard as heck to deal with. But he came up really, really, really sore after shootaround. And we’ve got to obviously look at the long-term view for how we’re dealing with our guys, and he’s one of those guys that we have to continue to look at in that situation,” Mosley said, via Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
Mosley added that they were concerned that Wagner’s injury could be a long-term issue. They wanted to monitor his progress before clearing him to return to the court.
Magic Gets Good News About Wagner
According to a separate report by The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede on Wednesday, Franz Wagner did not suffer any setback. He just has lingering soreness from his sprained left ankle, which is not a new injury.
The Magic reportedly view his current issue as part of his rehabilitation, so they want to manage the soreness and get him ready for the final stretch of the regular season.
Coach Jamahl Mosley added that Wagner has started riding a stationary bike on Wednesday. He also participated in shootaround, but was limited to just taking standstill shots.
In the 20 games that he missed because of his left ankle injury, the Magic has a record of 9-11. It’s not a terrible record, but they could have done better. Anthony Black has stepped up his game while filling in for Wagner, while Paolo Bachero has had some ups and downs.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported on The Hoop Collective Podcast that Mosley and Banchero and Mosley “might not be seeing eye to eye.” It’s not the first time there has been speculation about a strained relationship between the coach and player.
Grant Afseth of RG first reported in November that there is a disconnect in Orlando.
Wagner Felt Good in His Return
The Orlando Magic cleared Franz Wagner to make his return from a left ankle injury on January 15 against the Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin, Germany. Wagner put on a show for his compatriots, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds in the Magic’s 118-111.
Wagner was worse three days later, putting up just 14 points, four rebounds and three assists in London, England, against the same Grizzlies team.
In his postgame media availability after the Berlin game, Wagner shared how he felt in his first game back from a major injury.
“Every time you come off an injury, it’s normal to kind of be a little rusty physically as well and get used to the speed of the game. You can rehab all you want, you can’t really mimic the speed of NBA athletes for that amount of time. I feel good,” Wagner said, via NBA.com.
The Magic are barely surviving, sitting seventh in the East standings at 24-22. They are just 1.5 games ahead of the No. 10 Chicago Bulls, with the streaking Charlotte Hornets just five games behind.