Franz Wagner Out Indefinitely Due To Ankle Injury

Wagner continues to experience soreness in that left ankle after being diagnosed with a high ankle sprain back in early December, Charania explains. The 24-year-old returned for two games in mid-January and played in Orlando’s last two contests before the break, but has never been back to 100% and will require addition time and rehabilitation.

The plan, as reported by Charania and confirmed by the Magic (Twitter link), is to reevaluate Wagner in three weeks. That timeline suggests he’ll miss at least the next 10 games, and it seems likely he’ll be sidelined for longer than that.

It has been a frustrating season for Wagner, who was playing at an All-Star level before injuring his ankle on December 7 in New York. In his first 23 healthy games this season, the German forward averaged 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 34.5 minutes per game.

The Magic went 14-9 with Wagner healthy to open the season, but have played sub-.500 basketball since then (14-16) and are currently in play-in territory. At 28-25, Orlando has a half-game lead over Miami for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Wagner had come off the bench in his two most recent games, so the Magic won’t have to adjust their starting five on Thursday in Sacramento. Reserve forward Noah Penda, who has played more frequently since Wagner first went down, figures to continue seeing rotation minutes for the club.