Franz Wagner’s ‘frustrating’ admission on prolonged Magic injury absence

The Orlando Magic have slipped a bit on the heels of their recent seven-game winning streak, losing two straight games to the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Magic have been playing shorthanded as of late, with forward Franz Wagner not having appeared in a game since February 11 due to an ankle injury.

Recently, Wagner got 100% honest about the frustration of the rehab process as he looks to make it back into the lineup before the end of the season.

“Going into it, I was kind of expecting to feel really good within like 4-6 weeks of the injury,” Wagner said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “And obviously that wasn’t how I felt. So, I think that’s always frustrating probably not just for me (but) for everybody involved.”

Many Magic fans were also hoping that Wagner would be back by this point in time, but evidently, the recovery process has not progressed as smoothly as was anticipated.

The Magic have done a solid job of holding down the fort in Wagner’s absence, currently sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, but they are in danger of falling back into play-in territory with a loss on Thursday against the streaking Charlotte Hornets.

When healthy, Wagner is a versatile forward who can get it done on both ends of the floor, and had flashed signs of an improved outside jumper earlier this season, an area which had long been viewed as his main weakness.

If he can get back on the floor before the playoffs arrive, the Magic will not be a team that anyone looks forward to matching up with.

Orlando’s game against the Hornets on Thursday is set to tip off at 7:00 pm ET from Charlotte.