There was clearly a lot of anticipation for this day.
Franz Wagner had missed the previous 22 games and 47 of the last 51 games. Having him back on the floor and available to play felt like a godsend for a team seeking anything positive to get through the end of their season.
That breath of fresh air was apparent from the beginning. Everyone had a little bit more of a bounce in their step in the pregame handshake line for the starting lineups, even setting Franz Wagner to get introduced last and come out to John Cena's theme song.
The Magic had that energy early in the game for sure. Orlando forced the ball some to Wagner early in the game to get him going. He finished with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting (missing all six of his 3-pointers) in his return game.
The team did not deliver, of course. While the Magic started off hot, things quickly tapered off. Wagner, limited to 19:50 in his first game back, was a bit powerless to stop it. The Orlando Magic gave up a 16-0 run and a 42-point second quarter as the Atlanta Hawks routed the Orlando Magic 130-101.
The result spoke for itself and put a damper on Wagner's return game.
"Obviously, there is going to be some rust," Franz Wagner said after Wednesday's game. "I tried to play hard, focus on my assignment and stuff like that. Obviously, some shots didn't fall. At the end of the day, we played terribly as a team, in the 20 minutes I was out there, I wish I could have done a better job."
The question is then: Why?
Why are the Magic throwing Wagner back into the fire with so little time left and so little to play for?
The Magic are almost assuredly locked into the Play-In Tournament with their losses this week. That neither of them was particularly close only adds to the frustration that has bubbled throughout the season.
Wagner is not wired to sit out. It is one of the most endearing things about him. He wants to play. And as long as there are games to play for, it will be hard to keep him off the court.
What Orlando may be after then is a proof of concept. They need to see their starting lineup together at last and gain some confidence that the bones of their plan and build can work. They just have not seen it enough.
An absent lineup
When the Orlando Magic opted to sit tight at the trade deadline, only trading Tyus Jones to duck the luxury tax and delay their repeater clock, they said they believed they had the bones of a championship team. They believed their starting group was among the best lineups in the league.
Entering Wednesday's return game against the Atlanta Hawks, the Orlando Magic's starting lineup of Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter had played only 126 minutes and 13 games together, roughly double the games as last year's starting lineup played in that injury-plagued season.
In those minutes, the Magic were +14.0 points per 100 possessions with a 120.1 offensive rating and 106.1 defensive rating. That is indeed something to build on.
Even in Wednesday's game, the Magic's starting group was -10 for the game with 26 points in 11 minutes. In the first half, the group broke even 22-22 in eight minutes. A pretty big deal considering the Magic trailed by 18 at the half.
They got the Magic off to a good start at least.
Wagner's return was a breath of fresh air. The Magic had a 111.3 pace with Wagner on the floor, the team's highest, and it looked like they were playing with more energy. In the first half, at least, the Magic had a team-best 103.6 defensive rating with him on the floor and a good-for-the-game 100.0 offensive rating.
It was. . . expectedly rusty and a little adrenaline boost that quickly wore off.
"I thought Franz that first stint trying to get himself going, moving cutting, playing in transition, defending different bodies, communicating with the team," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Wednesday's loss. "I thought for being back after as much time as he had off, it didn't look like he missed that much of a beat."
It is just one game and Wagner is limited to 20 minutes. Things will not be perfect. It still felt like Wagner was fitting in and getting his footing.
But the Magic want to see their starting group. Because there are big decisions ahead.
What's the future?
This season is not completely about this season anymore.
Nobody knows where the Magic will finish. With how frustrating this season has been -- and Franz Wagner's injury is at the center of that frustration -- it has felt like a lame-duck season for a long time. with some big decisions coming in the offseason.
Everyone is expecting the Magic to make some pretty major decisions. The extent of those decisions -- including changes to the starting group -- is still what's left to be determined.
What the Magic want to see -- and why Wagner's return is ultimately so important -- is some proof of concept of what they can be. They want a hint that their fully healthy roster can indeed function. They need to know how far they actually are from the vision they had in the preseason.
"It's great to have him back," Desmond Bane said in the locker room after Wednesday's loss. "I thought he was vocal. He was speaking about the right things: Guarding, moving the ball, trying to get out and play with pace. I thought it was great to have him back in the lineup for sure."
It maybe tough to get a full picture considering the current state of the team and the struggles they are dealing with. This is not a team operating at full capacity.
They have clearly hit a point where they need to consider what is wrong with the roster beyond the coaching.
There is no guarantee that Wagner will fix everything that ails the Magic for that reason. There are only six games remaining before a Play-In Tournament battle to reach the Playoffs.
Wagner, even at half-speed like he was in his first two stalled returns in January and February, will certainly help with that.
What the Magic do not know is just how good this group really is. They may not fully know it. But they need a inkling of it at long last.