Magic F Franz Wagner Out Indefinitely While Rehabbing High Ankle Sprain

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner will be sidelined indefinitely due to needing more time to rehabilitate his high left ankle sprain, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania. 

Wagner has been dealing with the injury since Dec. 7, which has caused him to miss all but four of the Magic’s games since it occurred. He sat out the rest of December and played just two games in January. He returned earlier this month just before the All-Star break, and appeared in two games. 

In his fifth year, Wagner has become one of the Magic’s young stars. Wagner had a breakout year last season, averaging career highs of 24.2 points and 4.7 assists per game. Orlando made the playoffs last season for the second consecutive year, although it was eliminated in the first round. 

The Magic ended last season 41-41 and had to go through the play-in tournament to make the playoffs. Through 53 games this season, the Magic are 28-25 and currently in seventh place in the East. They’re sitting 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers, who are 30-24. 

While Wagner has been hampered by this ankle injury and his numbers have dipped, he’s still tied for the team lead in points per game with Paolo Banchero at 21.3. Wagner is also shooting a career high 36.5% from 3-point range this season. 

High ankle sprains can be tricky, as the timelines can vary depending on the severity. Wagner returned too early from the injury and will need to stay off the ankle for a while. However, missing Wagner in the lineup will hurt and could determine how much of a playoff push the Magic can make down the stretch. With 29 games remaining in the regular season, Orlando is just 3.5 games ahead of 10th-place Atlanta in the East. 

On Thursday, the Magic travel west to begin a four-game trip in Sacramento against the Kings.