Franz Wagner is still clearly working his way back from the left high ankle sprain that has slowed him down and kept him out of 47 of 51 games from early December to April 1.
His playoff series against the Detroit Pistons has not been Wagner at his best. But his mere presence has been enough to create respect, and his defense has been stellar, helping slow down Cade Cunningham and bottle up the Pistons' offense.
It was only in Game 4 when he really seemed to put all the pieces together, leading the charge with 19 points, five rebounds and four steals. He was a big part of Cade Cunningham's 24 turnovers in the last three games. His offense was starting to find its groove, only amplified by the two clutch shots he made at the end of Game 3.
Orlando was starting to regain some distance late in the third quarter when Wagner checked himself out of the game, immediately heading toward team trainer Arnie Kander and back to the locker room.
The team diagnosed him with right calf soreness as the Magic scrambled through an ugly fourth quarter to secure the victory and a 3-1 series lead.
One game away from winning its first playoff series as a franchise since 2010, the Magic could now be without their most impactful player.
The team announced that an MRI conducted on Tuesday revealed Wagner suffered a right calf strain. He has been listed as QUESTIONABLE for Wednesday's Game 5. His availability will depend on how he responds to treatment.
In the locker room after the Game 4 win, Wagner said he was hopeful he would be able to play Wednesday. But with the risk of calf injuries seen around the league and a 3-1 lead, it seems unlikely Wagner will play.
"It obviously sucks to come out of the game," Wagner said in the locker room after Game 4. "The most important thing is we got the win, and we'll figure out the rest [Tuesday]."
Wagner is known to push himself to play.
He got himself in trouble for that by returning from his high ankle sprain for the Orlando Magic's game in Berlin against the Memphis Grizzlies. He admitted that rushing back for that game was a mistake and led to his first setback returning from injury.
It is some growth then that Wagner was the one to remove himself from the game once he felt some discomfort. Wagner will fight through a lot of injuries but he said the paint bothered him enough to take him out of the game.
But Wagner's impact, specifically in this series, has been far greater.
Wagner has been the Magic's most impactful player
Franz Wagner's stats are not all that impressive in the big picture.
He is averaging only 16.8 points per game and shooting 43.9 percent from the floor. He has looked a step slow with some major pockets where he found his spark -- his 11 points to close Game 1 led to the upset win that set the tone for the series, and he had the five huge points to clinch Game 3 after the Detroit Pistons took the lead.
Still, Wagner's presence has had such a huge positive impact.
Orlando has a +6.8 net rating with Wagner on the floor, the best on-court net rating among all of the Magic's rotation players. That includes a 98.0 defensive rating in this extremely defensive-mined series.
Beyond all of that, Wagner has drawn the lead assignment on Cade Cunningham. In Game 4, he held Cunningham to five points on 2-for-5 shooting and two of his eight turnovers, according to NBA.com's tracking stats. He had 2-for-8 shooting against Wagner in Game 3.
Even though Wagner remains on a minute restriction -- and surely would have his minutes and consecutive minutes watched carefully if he plays again in this series -- he has made the most of those minutes.
Wagner has been essential to this team and its success.
Next man up
The Orlando Magic are used to playing without Franz Wagner. But they obviously took a major downturn.
While Wagner was out for those 51 games, the Magic were essentially a .500 team.
They had a -1.6 net rating with a 113.5 offensive rating and 115.1 defensive rating. The Magic are the 8-seed because they were unable to figure things out consistently with Wagner out of the lineup.
They went just 26-25 in that long stretch. It torpedoed their season in many ways.
The team knows hwat it is like to play without him. And that is a strength the team feels it can lean on now that its defense is back to this elite level.
"It's the next man up mentality," Wendell Carter said in the locker room after Game 4. "That's what we have done a really good job of since I've been in Orlando. We've had a lot of injuries and ups and downs throughout the season. We've always had a great next-man-up mentality. There is nothing short of what we can do consistently."
In this playoff series, the Magic have a team-worst -9.9 net rating with Wagner off the floor. They have scored only 90.8 points per 100 possessions with Wagner off the floor, even if the defense maintains a strong 100.7 defensive rating.
In this series, even if Wagner is at half speed, the threat of his driving and his size have opened things up for the Magic. Even if it is only slightly. Orlando has dominated his minutes completely.
And that is what the Magic will be trying to solve. This will be the challenge in this series to play without Wagner.
Orlando is still capable of competing. There are still plenty of offensive weapons.
But a 3-1 series that becomes a 3-2 series suddenly gets very nervy. The Magic potentially missing a key player will warrant a response -- either more desperation to close the series or reluctance knowing there is another opportunity ahead at home.
That response might be define the series now. And Wagner's absence will loom large as the Magic try to advance.
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