When the Orlando Magic take the floor Thursday against the Sacramento Kings in their first game after the All-Star Break, they hoped it would be the start of a 29-game sprint that will see them at full strength at long last.
That has been the hope for much of the season. Just get healthy, and the Magic would see their top four guys together, becoming the team everyone imagined they would be.
That has been a myth this season ever since Paolo Banchero went down with a strained groin on Nov. 12, just 12 games into the season, and especially since Franz Wagner's high ankle sprain on Dec. 7.
The team has been in suspended animation, hovering around .500 since that injury hit and frustratingly unable to find consistency.
The Magic hoped the All-Star Break would bring stability. Instead, it appears to be delivering another hurtful blow.
After Wagner returned for the final two games before the break, the Magic announced Wednesday he will be out indefinitely as he continues to experience soreness in his left ankle. The team said that imaging confirmed Wagner would need additional time and rehabilitation before returning to basketball activities.
He will be re-evaluated in three weeks, guaranteeing he will miss the next 11 games and likely more with just 29 games remaining this season.
The dream of this Magic team being whole is quickly slipping away. And the Magic will have to find a way to fight to stay afloat yet again. They will need to do more than stay afloat if they aim to climb the standings and avoid the Play-In.
In either case, this season, which felt like it could be the breakthrough the Magic were waiting for, is quickly turning into another season lost to injury.
Back-and-forth season for Franz
For the second straight year, Franz Wagner seemed set to make the All-Star team before a December injury derailed those plans.
Last year, he tore his oblique on Dec. 6, 2024 just as he and the team were picking up steam, winning 13 of 15 games before losing the game Wagner was hurt.
Once again, Wagner's injury, this time a left high ankle sprain on Dec. 7, 2025, derailed him and the team just as they were beginning to find a rhythm. Orlando had won 10 of 14 games heading into the game where Wagner was injury.
Wagner himself was turning in an All-Star-worthy performance, averaging 23.4 points per game and 6.2 rebound sper game while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from three.
It was the breakthrough the Magic were hoping for.
Wagner has played only four games since then, playing the pair of games in Europe against the Memphis Grizzlies, turning in a critical 18 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, of his homecoming game in Berlin, and scoring 14 in the blowout loss in London.
Wagner admitted that he probably rushed his way back to play in that game and sat out the next nine games trying to continue recovering.
He returned to face the Milwaukee Bucks in a pair of home games before the All-Star Break. He looked no worse for the wear with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the win over the Bucks. But struggled to five points on 1-for-7 shooting in the loss just before the break.
Wagner clearly did not look completely right, even coming off the bench and on a strict minute restriction.
It will be another blow for the Magic who have rarely seen their top three players together the last two years.
Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs played only 97 minutes in six games together in the 2025 season -- posting a +8.1 net rating (108.6 offensive rating/100.5 defensive rating).
This season, the trio has played only 148 minutes in 13 games together, posting a 119.3 offensive rating and 106.9 defensive rating.
There is something there that works, but the Magic have not seen it enough.
The Magic without Franz
The more immediate concern for the Orlando Magic is how much the team has struggled since Franz Wagner's injury. Despite all the talent and an All-Star-level player in Paolo Banchero still available for most of the time, Wagner's injury has been a true turning point. The team has struggled to find its footing since then.
Orlando has gone 14-15 since Wagner's initial injury, merely treading water record-wise. But the team has floundered on the court with inconsistent play.
The Magic have a 111.8 offensive rating, 25th in the league in the last 10-plus weeks. More frustratingly, the team is 20th in defensive rating, giving up 115.9 points per 100 possessions.
The team has indeed missed two of its best defenders in Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs for much of that time. But the Magic have lost much of their identity nevertheless. There have been questions about effort and consistency during the last 2.5 months.
The frustrating part is that while the injury allowed for Anthony Black to emerge -- averaging 18.5 point sper game and 4.8 assists per game -- it has not led to a re-emergence for Paolo Banchero.
Banchero leads the team in scoring since Wagner's injury with 21.8 points per game, along with 8.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. But he has struggled ot make an impact.
The team has a -4.4 net rating with Paolo Banchero on the floor since Wagner's injury with an above-team-average 112.6 offensive rating and a 117.0 defensive rating, a mark only better than Franz Wagner and Moe Wagner among rotation players.
If the Magic are going to survive this, they will need Banchero's return to star form.
There is no good news to this. The Magic have been a broken team disrupted by injuries all season yet again. They have struggled to find their rhythm. And Franz Wagner's extended absence -- and potential to miss the rest of the season -- is a harmful blow to the team's post-break hopes.
But the Magic will have to find a way to fight through. Maybe some lineup stability and knowing that he is out will reset roles and help the Magic find a rhythm. It may be better late than never.