Magic Preseason Profile: Moe Wagner Losing Footing on Roster?

Orlando Magic big man Moe Wagner has a lot of competition for playing time. Will he be able to find minutes?

Jeremy Brener | Oct 18, 2022

Magic Preseason Profile: Moe Wagner Losing Footing on Roster? /

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic big man Moe Wagner is fighting for playing time next to several talented younger frontcourt players.

Wagner is entering his third season with the Magic, and while he may not be one of the team's foundational pieces, he still has a valuable role.

Let's take a look back at what Wagner was able to produce last year, as well as what we can look forward to seeing this season.

2021-22 Season Review

Wagner played 63 games last season, with all but three coming off the bench. He averaged nine points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

While the numbers are a bit mundane, one statistic really stands out ... 67.2 percent from 2-point range. Wagner's strengths are scoring by the rim, but he also creates space and is usually placed on the perimeter. Given the Magic's injuries in the frontcourt last season, Wagner saw a ton of playing time that he might not see in 2022-23.

2022-23 Season Preview

Wagner will start the season on the sidelines. He sprained his ankle in the final preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“He’s still in the evaluation process,” Mosley said. “The reason why we don’t give timetables is because of that reason — you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. Similar to Jalen being out, that’s why we try to say there’s no timetable to what we’re doing.”

When Wagner comes back, he'll likely see playing time during back-to-backs and/or when other big men get injured.

He might not play a huge role on the floor, but he's a solid veteran who is key to the team's chemistry and the team favorably views his strengths both on and off the court.

Check out our other Magic preseason player profiles you might have missed so far:

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Published Oct 18, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.