BOSTON -- Early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, Franz Wagner checked out with the Orlando Magic down 11 points. It was odd to see him come out less than a minute into the quarter. But it was clear he was struggling.
The ESPN broadcast spent at least part of the fourth quarter before Wagner came back in with 3:06 to play, and the Magic trailing by seven, with shots of Wagner on the bench. His left ankle and leg are still heavily wrapped every time he is out of the game.
It is so clear the Magic are milking every moment they can get out of Wagner since he returned from a high ankle sprain and the setbacks that led to two false starts in his return.
The focus on Wagner is warranted. The Magic are clearly a better team with him on the floor, even for the limited capacity he is on now.
But now that the postseason is here, the Magic know they need Wagner to have any kind of success of advancing. And Wagner is seemingly doing all he can to give the Magic whatever he can.
"I'm trying to push through. Get as much time out there as I can. I feel all right," Wagner said in the locker room after Sunday's loss. "It's frustrating [not playing his full minutes]. But there's only one way to get past that, and that's to push through it. I want to do it the smart way. But to go to that point the smart way, that's all I can do."
It was not the first time it seemed like Wagner needed to come out of the game. He seemed to call himself out of the game in the second quarter of the game on Sunday as well as in the second quarter of Friday's win over the Chicago Bulls.
Wagner is indeed trying to push himself. The question is whether he can gvie this team enough.
Slowly doing more
Franz Wagner's minutes have slowly crept up with each game. He is starting to do more.
He played 26:11 in Sunday's game against the Boston Celtics, his most since he came back. But that is still nowhere near what he was playing before.
Before Wagner's injury, he was averaging 23.4 points per game in 34.5 minutes per game. That is a far cry from the 17.2 points per game in 21.3 minutes per game he has averaged since returning -- in fairness, that is 29.0 points per 36 minutes, showing how effective Wagner can be.
The Magic have a +15.4 net rating with Wagner on the floor -- 115.7 offensive rating and 100.3 defensive rating. He has always been a connector in that way. He improves every aspect even if it is just the threat of what he can do.
It is obvious to see why the Magic want him back on the court and the impact he can make.
But he clearly looks a step off. And his ability to play long stretches is still limited. He still needs long breaks between coming in and out of games.
Wagner is simply trying to push through those barriers and feel better. He is hoping that he feels better with each game.
Orlando is watching his minutes as much as anyone else. And the Magic need every minute they can get from him.
Patience is all the Magic have
Throughout this whole recovery process, coach Jamahl Mosley has preached patience.
He has preached that the team is trying to keep Wagner's long-term health in mind. They do not want this ankle injury to become as recurring as it has become this season. They want this to be the end of his injury saga.
Still, the Orlando Magic know they need Wagner. They see what he can do and how he boosts every lineup he is in.
In the Playoffs, when decisions get tighter and driving lanes shrink, they ned another player who can create for himself, help spread the floor and attack downhill.
After last year's playoffs where Wagner averaged 25.8 points per game, the Magic could clearly see his impact. It is hard to find a lineup or pairing that Wagner does not improve.
Lineups with Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane without Paolo Banchero have a +5.0 net rating (118.6 offensive rating/113.6 defensive rating) according to DataBallr. Lineups with Wagner and Banchero without Bane have a +26.0 net rating, albeit in 37 minutes.
Even in his current state, Wagner supercharges the lineups he is in. A healthy Wagner who can attack downhill and score at the rim completely changes the Magic.
It makes them a far better team. His absence has been felt all season long since he initially suffered the high ankle sprain in early December.
It is impossible to know how the season might have turned out if Wagner had not gotten hurt. It feels safe to assume the Magic would not be preparing for a Play-In Tournament game or feeling this frustrated with how their season went.
Right now, the Magic are simply trying to get Wagner back up to speed.
But the reality is that these are must-win games now. There is no room for mistakes anymore. Sunday was the last chance the team had to drop a winnable game. And that still stung.
The Magic need the best version of Wagner to give themselves their best chance on Wednesday, let alone the rest of the postseason beyond it.
All Wagner can continue to do is give his best for as long as he can. And hope he can break through the physical walls in front of him in his recovery.
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