Another crushing blow was dealt to the Orlando Magic. Star forward Franz Wagner is out indefinitely with a torn oblique. Wagner suffered the injury on Friday, and the team announced the news of the injury the next day. Wagner had been playing extremely well for the Magic who currently rank as the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference with a 17-9 record.
The Magic will now be without their two top forwards for the foreseeable future. Paolo Banchero suffered the same injury back on Oct. 30, just two days after he poured in 50 points in a win over the Pacers. Banchero is expected to be re-evaluated in the coming weeks, but he still has no timetable for a return
Wagner will be on a similar schedule to Banchero. We can expect an update on his status within a 4-to-6-week timetable. While Banchero flourished early on, Wagner took a backseat through the first week of the season. He has been excellent since Banchero has been out.
Over his last 20 games, Wagner averaged 26.3 PPG, 6.3 APG, 6.0 RPG, and 1.8 SPG. A true two-way wing who had been making strides into stardom. It’s not just the stats that the Magic have to replace. Everything was running through Wagner when he was on the floor. Orlando is now down their two best scorers and playmakers.
Fortunately for the Magic, they still have one of the deepest rosters in the league. In their first game this year without Banchero or Wagner, the Magic defeated the visiting Phoenix Suns 115-110. Jalen Suggs was excellent on both ends, pouring in 26 points while providing strong defense on Phoenix’s star-studded backcourt.
They’ll need to continue getting games like that from Suggs and the rest of the lineup. This could be a moment for offseason signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to establish a groove offensively. More minutes have also opened up for a young core consisting of Anthony Black (20), Tristan da Silva (23), Jett Howard (21), and Caleb Houstan (21). The Eastern Conference’s No. 1 ranked defense should be fine even without the size and athleticism of Wagner or Banchero. However, several players will have to step up and get things going offensively while Orlando awaits the return of its top two stars.
