The first game back from a prolonged injury absence is always tricky.
The mind knows what to do, but the body is still getting used to the speed of the game. It is at times going too fast and at times to slow. Timing and rhythm are off.
Franz Wagner looked like it was his first game back. He looked rusty. Layups were falling off the rim. And put-back and easy shots were not going down. He was trying his sidestep moves, but found himself running into defenders.
It did not help that this was his homecoming game in Berlin. He had a lot riding on the game, and it was clear he was pressing a bit.
He still gave everyone a show.
In the fourth quarter, Wagner looked far more comfortable. He looked far more assertive and confident. He scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, making four of six shots, including two three-pointers. He hit one of the decisive shots -- following Anthony Black's massive dunk with a floater to give the Magic a five-point lead with about a minute to play.
Wagner iced the game at the foul line to M-V-P chants from the home crowd. It was a fitting end for a return game -- both a return to his home city and a return to the court after missing nearly six weeks of action.
"The nerves were there," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Thursday's game. "You see by the looks you are getting. You are getting great looks, missed a couple at the rim. Trying to find the energy through it. I think that adrenaline was very heavy for those guys tonight. As they settled into the game, you saw what they were capable of doing as they got themselves going."
The Magic are starting to look like themselves again. And having Wagner back in the lineup is a big key for this team turning things around and climbing the standings.
Orlando saw the team hit its peak again. It was a sigh of relief.
A lot on his plate
Undoubtedly, it was a slow start from Franz Wagner.
Wagner simply had a lot on his plate throughout the week.
He was the unofficial host of the week for the Magic in Berlin and had many responsibilities and appearances to make throughout the time they were there. All three of the Magic's German players were pulled in a lot of different directions.
On top of that, Wagner was returning from the high ankle sprain that cost him nearly six weeks. That is no small injury. He practiced with the team on Tuesday and Wednesday as he began to get himself ready for his return to the floor.
Jamahl Mosley previewed that there might be some clunkiness when Wagner returned to the court. It was not entirely surprising that Wagner struggled to produce and find his rhythm.
There was a lot weighing on his mind and a lot he had to push through in this momentous game. He delivered nonetheless.
"I think that was part of it. It's more mentally. It was a lot coming into this week," Franz Wagner said after Thursday's game. "Obviously working back from an injury isn't ever easy and then it being this game. A very emotional week and also a taxing week because we did a lot of stuff because we wanted to maximize our team. I'm not making any excuses, though. Once you decide to play, you have to be ready. I was happy to make some plays at the end."
Like any competitor, Wagner was most concerned about the win. This was still a business trip.
Clutch Impact
Franz Wagner still made an impact in the game.
The Magic had a 105.3 defensive rating with Wagner on the floor, clearly the area he was missed most during his absence. They also had a respectable (but below the team's average) 114.0 offensive rating with Wagner on the floor.
He made a clear impact. And he helped them win the game -- the Magic had a 144.0 offensive rating in his fourth quarter minutes.
And Wagner showed he will get himself up and running with the way he finished the game. He hit the game-tying three with 3:30 to play, in an underrated play that set up Black's monstrous dunk.
At the end of the day, through all the outside things Wagner had to do as part of the festivities around this game, he stepped up at the end of the game to deliver for his team. He found his footing.
He stepped up with huge plays to deliver the win.
"That's who he is," Mosley said after Thursday's game. "The mental work he puts in to know no matter what happens prior to the next play, he's not worried about it. To knock his free throws down, to get the big rebound, to hit the big corner three, those are big moment plays and he's a big moment player."
There is still surely some clunkiness to come. Wagner is still going to get his rhythm and there will be some uneasy days ahead as he seeks his rhythm.
It is surely a weight off his shoulders that this game is behind him, as special and meaningful as it was. It was a weight to return too.
He pushed through his nerves and all the pressure to deliver. And the Magic feel a little bit more whole now.