Grappling With Injury Absence, Franz Wagner and Magic Lean on One Another

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner "has a good head on his shoulders," Wendell Carter Jr. said as Wagner deals with his first-ever extended injury absence. Until he returns, the Magic are supporting Wagner however possible.

Magic forward Franz Wagner met the media on Sunday to address his torn right oblique injury he suffered Friday, Dec. 6 at Philadelphia. / Orlando Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. – Saturday, Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner said, was "super difficult."

Testing revealed that the Magic's fourth-year forward had suffered a torn right oblique — the same injury as his All-Star teammate Paolo Banchero. In the 20 games that Banchero missed, with Wagner playing like an All-Star himself, the Magic were 13-7. Now, Franz was facing a long-term recovery with no timetable for a return.

"You kind of go through stages, I think, when you get that bad news," Wagner said Sunday, addressing the media for the first time since his diagnosis. "I did that yesterday and was frustrated yesterday."

The parallels in the two players' injury stories are strikingly similar.

Wagner, like Banchero, said he recalled a play when he felt it "a little bit," but in the course of an 82-game season "you always kind of have stuff." He finished Friday's game — as Banchero did Oct. 30 at Chicago – but thought nothing more of it.

Neither did coach Jamahl Mosley, who said Sunday that he had noticed Wagner getting attention during a timeout huddle. But that's a common occurrence during stoppages in play.

Wagner finished the game with 30 points in 38 minutes. Banchero finished his last game five weeks ago with 31 points in 37 minutes.

"We talked shortly, just saying how crazy it is. I've never heard of this injury before, now we had it twice," Wagner said. "Those things can always happen, obviously just super unfortunate. No one [is] really to blame for it, it just kind of happened and [I] just kind of have to deal with it."

During TNT's broadcast of the Magic-Bucks NBA Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday, sideline reporter Jared Greenberg said Orlando pulled multiple video clips from the Dec. 6 game at Philadelphia to ascertain he might have picked up the injury. Wagner, however, couldn't remember any moment in the clips when he felt something different.

"You know, it didn't hurt that bad, honestly," Wagner said Sunday. "Talking to Paolo, that's kind of how he felt, too. But obviously, it's a serious, serious injury even though it doesn't hurt as bad, maybe, as some other stuff. You gotta be careful and make sure it's really healed."

The Magic, confirming ESPN's initial report, designated Wagner out indefinitely with a return to play dependent on how he responds to treatment. A re-evaluation of his progression and healing will come after four weeks, the team said.

More than five and a half weeks have passed since Banchero suffered his oblique tear. While fielding questions about Wagner's injury, Mosley confirmed prior reporting by Magic on SI and the Orlando Sentinel that Banchero had made an initial return to the court for light ball-handling and spot shooting, but was offered no timeline for when to expect Banchero back on the court.

Sunday allowed Wagner time to reflect on the team's progression and refine his focus on what's next. In his first time seeing most of his teammates since the news came down, he felt the embrace of a team that would have his back the same way he and the players looked after Banchero.

"Because they're tied together, they have the same amount of hurt and frustration for him," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "There's not a pity party. I can promise you that. There is a sadness for Franz because of who he is, what he's done, how far he's come along, and the way he's led in these moments and what he's been doing on and off the court for this group.

"They feel and hurt for him because they know what their brother had been doing."

"Win games for him," Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. told Magic on SI in the locker room Sunday. "That's one of the best ways we can support him, in my opinion."

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) and center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) battle for rebound position with Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half at Kaseya Center. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Carter, the Magic's 25-year-old man in the middle, is one of the longest-tenured players in the team's locker room. Few others can match the experiences he's had around the league in his seventh circuit through an NBA calendar and his fourth season with this franchise. While this is Wagner's first extended absence, Carter has endured a less fortunate injury history.

Time after time, Carter has come back. He's confident that Wagner will do the same.

"This is an emotional thing," Carter said. "When you get hurt, man, it takes a toll on you mentally and emotionally. I've been there, it's tough, so I kind of know what that feels like. When I heard the news, I reached out to him as soon as I could and told him, 'Yo, I'm here. Whatever you need, I got you, bro.'

"I think he'll be fine. He has a really good head on his shoulders and he understands what it's all about."

"Just talking to these guys, I thought it was really cool, all the support from everybody that I got," Wagner said. "Gives me a lot of strength to just hopefully get through this as fast as I can. Obviously it's not ideal, but that's how the season goes and how life goes sometimes."

Wagner, whom Carter called a great leader and among the Magic's hardest workers, is someone who takes the time to view the positives. After grieving Saturday, that recovery process began Sunday. Some of those positives are relative, he said, given that a competitor of his stature would always prefer to be on the court. But of the solace available, Wagner first mentioned how he'll get the rare chance to fully let his body recover and heal.

Time off has been hard to come by this year. He played into the early part of May with the Magic, then competed for his home country of Germany in the Paris Olympics. The calendar will flip to 2025 before the first of a series of re-evaluations come, but when he returns he'll be fresh for the season's closing run.

As Banchero did nearly six weeks ago, Wagner acknowledged that, yes, the road ahead will be a challenge. But his absence creates opportunities for teammates who don't always get the playing time. He has joined Banchero as a leader from the sideline.

In two games without the star duo, the Magic have put together consecutive spirited performances and split results against Phoenix (115-110 win) and Milwaukee (114-109 loss). Their upcoming schedule features plenty of above-.500 teams that will test the depth and togetherness of the Magic's roster.

Above all, though, Wagner is grateful because he knows it could be worse. Among the silver linings available, the Magic's fourth-year playmaker said these situations can be a reminder of how much is taken for granted.

"Sometimes it feels super bad in the moment, but we're still blessed to be in this position," Wagner said. "No doubt I'll get healthy, Paolo will get healthy, and we'll be good as a group."

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