Magic lose Franz Wagner to torn right oblique, same injury that sidelined Paolo Banchero
Associated PressFranz Wagner stepped up in countless ways for the Orlando Magic when All-Star forward Paolo Banchero tore his oblique. Wagner has a torn right oblique in a crushing blow for a team that survived the loss of Banchero and will play in the NBA Cup quarterfinals — but now will be without their second-leading scorer for at least four weeks and likely longer. Wagner, without question, has been Orlando’s best player in the 20 games the team has played since Banchero got hurt in late October, averaging 26.1 points, 6 rebounds and 6.3 assists in that span — leading the Magic to a 13-7 record in those contests, 13-3 in their last 16 games. If the injuries are similar — there’s no way of knowing how much faster or slower Wagner’s recovery process will be compared to Banchero’s, which is ongoing — then Wagner’s candidacy for end-of-season awards such as the MIP honor would be in jeopardy because of the NBA rule requiring players appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for such honors.
History of this topic
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