Magic forward Franz Wagner has been diagnosed with a torn right oblique and will be sidelined indefinitely, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that Wagner will be reevaluated in four weeks.
The Magic have confirmed the news (Twitter link). The injury occurred during Friday’s game in Philadelphia.
It’s a brutal blow for an Orlando team that has already been without one star, Paolo Banchero, for more than a month. Not only will Wagner join his fellow forward on the injured list, but he has sustained essentially the same injury — Banchero has been out since October 30 due to a torn right oblique of his own.
Wagner served as the second option on offense behind Banchero for the past couple seasons, but the Magic gave him a five-year, maximum-salary extension in July, signaling their confidence in his ability to continue developing into an All-Star caliber player. His star turn was taking place this fall as he took the reins of Orlando’s offense with Banchero sidelined.
In 20 games without Banchero available so far this season, Wagner has averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 35.0 minutes per contest.
Banchero said in mid-November that he hoped to return to the court by Christmas, though he admitted that was his own goal and wouldn’t necessarily be approved by the Magic’s medical team. Even if Banchero meets that timeline, Orlando will likely have to get by for at least a couple more weeks without either of its top two scorers.
Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner have been the Magic’s next-best scorers behind Wagner in recent weeks and will be asked to take on additional scoring responsibilities. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anthony Black, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony, and Goga Bitadze are among the others who figure to be leaned upon more on that side of the floor. However, it seems safe to assume the Magic, who already rank just 24th in the NBA with a 110.3 offensive rating, could have some trouble scoring in the immediate future.
After starting the season with a 3-6 record, Orlando has won 13 of its last 16 games and sits at 16-9, good for third in the Eastern Conference. That strong start should help the club stay afloat until they get Banchero and Wagner back.
