The 24-or-so hours after the Orlando Magic's game against the New York Knicks, the whole basketball world seemed to be collectively wringing its hands.
Everyone feared the worst after Franz Wagner stayed on the court holding his knee after it got caught underneath him during an awkward fall in the first quarter of Sunday's game.
The nerves quickly dissipated when the Magic announced that, following an MRI, Wagner had suffered only a high ankle sprain. There was no structural damage in his left knee. The initial prediction is that he would miss 2-4 weeks (although it might likely be closer to 4-6 weeks).
The bottom line was that it was not a serious injury, even though Wagner is making his way around with a walking boot over his left foot and crutches. Wagner is not slated to travel with the team to Las Vegas or on the team's upcoming West Coast trip, a team source said.
Wagner told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel during a Christmas charity event with his brother on Wednesday that he had mixed feelings about the news. He was relieved that the injury was not as serious, but "bummed" that he would miss a few weeks.
Wagner acknowledged they dodged a bullet with the diagnosis.
The feeling from everyone was simply relief.
"I couldn't believe it, honestly," Desmond Bane said after Tuesday's win over the Miami Heat. "Super happy for him, first and foremost. He escaped something really major. We wrap our arms around him and stay with him and keep him close to the team as he works his way back. We can't wait until he gets back. We're going to hold it down for him until he does."
Missing pieces
The Orlando Magic will not be as good as they can be without all of their best players on the floor. There have only been precious few moments with the team fully healthy and together. The team is still hoping to see more of that down the road.
Franz Wagner has been as important as anyone else.
He leads the team, averaging 22.7 points per game and shooting 53.7 percent effective field goal percentage. He is even shooting 36.0 percent from three. Wagner was on track to earn his first All-Star appearance, just like he was last year when he tore his oblique virtually a year to the day of his new injury.
Orlando has a lot to fill in and a lot to step up with Wagner out. No matter how long he might be out.
"It's a blessing that it wasn't what we thought it was, and it looked," coach Jamahl Mosley said before Tuesday's game. "You don't want anybody to be out. But for it not to be what people thought it was was much better news.
"The hard part about it is you don't have him. The beauty in it is you have been in this situation before. You have to look back and lean on what we have done in those situations. The next man has to step up and be ready to play and when your number is called, you are ready to go."
Familiar feeling
The Orlando Magic have dealt with plenty of injuries the last two seasons.
Orlando's main trio of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs played only 97 minutes in six games last year. The main quartet with Desmond Bane has played only 125 minutes in 11 games this season.
The Magic survived the injuries last season when both Banchero and Wagner went down with torn obliques and Suggs eventually went down with a knee injury. They are used to stepping up. Adding a player like Bane makes that easier because he is another player who can take over games.
Banchero missed 10 games already this season with a left groin strain, only just returning to action a week ago. He has played three games since then and is still working his way back into rhythm.
It was Bane's 37 points and six 3-pointers that helped the Magic advance to the NBA Cup semifinals (not to mention his 37-point effort to win the group against the Detroit Pistons).
Orlando has wrapped its hands around the identity of "next man up" and living it once again.
"Next man up. The show goes on," Bane said after Tuesday's win. "Unfortunately, that's just the nature of the NBA. We had a lot of different guys contribute tonight. It's going to have to be done collectively. I think every single guy who stepped on the floor tonight contributed to the win."
The Magic will need more efforts like the one it had Tuesday to succeed and survive for however long Wagner is out.
It is relief that Wagner's absence will not be that long. Everyone is happy that Wagner avoided a serious injury.
But now they have to push forward and find their way. They will likely be without him for 15-20 games. And the Magic's hopes for the postseason will rest on those games -- granted, an easier part of the schedule, particularly after the team returns from its West Coast trip.
"Never want to see one of your brothers go down in that way," Paolo Banchero said after Tuesday's win. "It was definitely scary for the whole team to see that. Glad it wasn't season-ending. We just want to continue to play well up until whenever he comes back."