Franz Wagner was amid his All-Star breakout and has stepped up for this Magic team in the absence of Paolo Banchero. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old will now join his teammate on the injury report and will be shut down for at least four weeks due to a torn oblique, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
This is the same injury that Banchero has been dealing with although the timeline could be shorter for Wagner. The team will now look to survive without their top two players. Orlando has gotten off to a great start to the season and sits in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 16-9 record.
Wagner is averaging 24.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game across his 33.2 minutes per game so far this season. He has especially taken a leap without Banchero. Across the 20 games he has played without his frontcourt partner, Wagner has averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds. He also has shown signs of improvement as a shooter. After being held to 28.1% shooting from beyond the arc last year, Wagner has been connecting on 32.1% of his three-pointers this season.
Banchero has been out since October 30th and the hope is he will return soon, but there has not been any concrete timeline made public thus far. The strong start to the season gives the Magic a bit of cushion in the standings, but Orlando will not reach their peak as a team until their two best players are on the floor and competing together. They have played just five games together this season to this point.
The Magic return to the floor on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks in an NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup.
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