There have been very few glimpses of Franz Wagner on the court since the All-Star break and the announcement that the Orlando Magic would sit Wagner out indefinitely as he recovered from and managed lingering pain from his high ankle sprain suffered on Dec. 7.
Even on Saturday, Wagner was stepping onto the practice court at the AdventHealth Training Center as media were being shuttled out. The Magic have been careful after two false starts in his return, monitoring his recovery as they hoped he could make it back before the end of the season and one last playoff push.
Monday then, seemed to be a big day.
As the Orlando Magic inducted Alex Martins into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame upstairs, Franz Wagner took a big step in his recovery downstairs at the Kia Center inside the practice court in the building.
The Orlando Magic confirmed Wagner was assigned to the Osceola Magic to practice with the team on Monday. He was recalled after the practice was complete.
A league source stressed that he continues to progress, and this is merely a step in the process. They will continue to see how he responds to his rehab and treatment.
Practicing with Osceola, as the team prepares for its Playoffs to begin soon, was vital with Orlando in the middle of a busy schedule that will not give them much practice time -- the team's next scheduled practice is Saturday before flying to Toronto for Sunday's game against the Toronto Raptors.
Getting him on the floor for anything live is a vital step toward his return.
"I think it's very great that he has taken these next steps and just seeing how his body responds to the different levels of the treatment and what we're putting him through," coach Jamahl Mosley said before Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. "He seemed to pull up a little bit better yesterday as I saw him."
Mosley said he did not talk to Wagner on Tuesday with the team traveling for the back-to-back. The team will see how he responds and what he looks like after Tuesday's workout when the team returns to Orlando.
Mosley would not put a timeline on his return when asked before Tuesday's game.
Mosley said before last week's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that Wagner had begun light contact work on the court, something Wagner confirmed to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. Progress in his return was slow, but it was coming.
This week proved to be a critical week with the Magic mostly home for the entire week for the last time, and the schedule lightening up some after this back-to-back. The Orlando Magic's next game is Thursday against the Sacramento Kings at the Kia Center.
It has been a frustrating season for Wagner because of this injury. Wagner has missed 43 of the last 47 games entering Tuesday night (which will be his 19th straight game out).
He had two false starts, returning for the January games against the Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin and London before needing to shut himself down because of lingering pain. He returned again before the All-Star break against the Milwaukee Bucks, but again needed to take time to recover after imaging showed continued issues in the area.
He admitted that he likely pushed himself too hard to return for the homecoming game in Berlin. He likely paid the price for that after the first false start.
It has been a long wait for Wagner to return.
He is averaging 21.3 points per game with 47.9/36.5/82.8 shooting splits. But his ability to attack and get downhill is sorely missed. The Magic are desperate for his defensive ability, size and scoring to ease pressure on other players in the lineup.
The Magic have proved they can win without Wagner. But there was certainly little chance of them advancing out of the first round without him.
With 10 games remaining after Tuesday's game in Cleveland, the Magic need all hands on deck to try to climb the standings.
Entering Tuesday's game, the Orlando Magic are a half-game behind the Philadelphia 76ers for seventh, 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for sixth, and two games behind the Toronto Raptors for fifth. They are also only a half-game ahead of the Miami Heat in ninth and a game ahead of the Charlotte Hornets in 10th.
Orlando could still end up anywhere from fifth to 10th. Getting back one of the key players for this team and its success is vital to the Magic getting back into the race, let alone recovering from this frustrating five-game losing streak.
Wagner could be a player that swings the Magic's season one way or the other.
Ultimately, the Magic got good news knowing that Wagner is back practicing and playing live. That is a significant step. The question is whether he is able to take the next step and play before the season ends.