As the media shuttled out of shootaround last Wednesday before the Orlando Magic's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Franz Wagner was waiting for everyone to leave before he began his workout.
Wagner's recovery from a high ankle sprain has been kept under lock and key since the team announced he would be out indefinitely. The four-week timeline the Magic initially shared came and went a week ago, with only the update that he was continuing to progress.
Coach Jamahl Mosley confirmed last week that Franz Wagner had begun doing work on the court, but was still at the non-contact phase.
Nearly a week later, Wagner has been making some quiet and steady progress.
"Franz has been able to get on the floor, a little light contact," Mosley said before Tuesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. "That's about where he is right now."
Wagner told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel that he hopes to play live soon, as he expressed frustration with how slow his recovery is going. Wagner repeated what he said about a month ago, that he probably pushed to return too quickly so he could play in Berlin.
The biggest frustration is that he has had these two false starts. It sounds like both the Magic and Wagner are trying to be more patient and make sure he is fully healthy before he returns.
That is both encouraging and discouraging news.
Encouraging because Wagner is making more tangible progress in his return as the Playoffs approach. Discouraging because everyone recognizes there is a ticking clock.
The season ends in one month. The Playoffs begin shortly after that. There are only 14 games remaining. And everyone is cognizant that the Magic cannot make the noise they want in the Playoffs, despite how well they are playing now, without a fully healthy roster.
They need Wagner back. And everyone is antsy for his return. Even if they are patient to keep his long-term health in focus beyond this season.
The Magic need Franz Wagner
The Orlando Magic are plenty capable of winning games without Franz Wagner. They have proved that during the last several weeks when they went on a season-long seven-game win streak. They have climbed (briefly) to 10 games over .500 with the win Saturday against the Miami Heat.
But Tuesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder was plenty of proof that the Orlando Magic are missing a key piece of their puzzle (several pieces with the injuries to Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac).
The Magic are not just missing Wagner's 21.3 points per game. They are missing a second anchor and an attacking player. Someone who can take attention away from Paolo Banchero, play with the second unit, and give the team better offensive balance.
The Magic struggled to get into the paint with just Banchero as their lead attacker in Tuesday's loss.
Orlando has found ways to win by recommitting to its defense, but teams are going to load up to stop Banchero and make his life difficult. Having a second scorer and attacker of Wagner's caliber will give the Magic a greater dimension offensively.
Not to mention Wagner is one of the beam's best defensive players. He would help a great defense become even better.
Wagner is typically a good gap filler in addition to a dynamic scorer. Especially when sharing the floor with Banchero -- the Magic have a +3.0 net rating when that duo shares the floor (113.9/110.8 in 349 minutes) -- it presents a matchup nightmare for opponents. They have to decide where to commit their size.
The Magic create a ton of tension for defenses with both Banchero and Wagner on the floor. They know that is a key ticket to their ambitions of escaping the first round.
Orlando has been chasing health all season. The team has survived and stayed in the fight -- although the East standings continue to get tighter -- but it knows health is the biggest key to success.
AB and Isaac still not on the floor
The Orlando Magic are not just waiting on Franz Wagner either. They are missing two other key rotation players. And neither seems particularly close to returning.
Anthony Black has missed the last six games with a lateral abdominal strain. Jamahl Mosley said he has not returned to the court yet and is still doing just light movements within the weight room in his recovery.
Similarly, Jonathan Isaac has missed the last three games with a right knee sprain after his scary fall against the Washington Wizards last week. He told reporters in the locker room after Tuesday's game that he is not yet doing much activity beyond red light therapy and light movements as he waits for the inflammation in his knee to subside.
Isaac was happy that the injury was not something worse. He thought the worst as he was on the floor after the injury happened. He was happy to hear it was just a sprain.
But now is the frustration of waiting to get himself back on the court.
"Very [frustrated], like you couldn't imagine," Isaac told reporters in the locker room Tuesday of the timing of his injury. "We all have our own journeys and this is mine. I'm trying to handle it the right way and have the best perspective that I can given the circumstances and be there for my teammates."
That is all any of these players can do. The Magic are waiting for these key players to return and hope they can get them in rhythm before the Playoffs so they can contribute. The Magic need all three of these players to help in the postseason.
But time is running out whether they want to admit it or not. The games will come quickly and only increase in pressure with each contest -- games on March 29 at the Toronto Raptors and April 1 against the Atlanta Hawks loom ever larger now.
This is when team want to be healthy and rolling. The Magic are rolling. But they do not have the health they have been so desperate for so long to find.