Magic Star Franz Wagner Makes History in Return From Injury

Orlando's star forward did something he has yet to do in his NBA career against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner scored 14 points in his first game since Jan. 15 in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks inside the Kia Center.

Wagner played 17 minutes in the contest but did so coming off the bench for the first time in his career. Wagner's first 317 appearances in the NBA all came with him in the starting lineup, but things changed in his first game back from injury. He spoke about how it felt coming off the bench following the win.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely different, but I mean I’ve come off the bench before in my life, so I’m just trying to find other ways to, you know, obviously get ready and be ready. Once you get subbed in and sometimes it’s fun to have a change of routine like that," Wagner said postgame.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner reacts after a called foul against the San Antonio Spurs. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Franz Wagner Comes Off Bench For First Time in NBA Career

Wagner won't be coming off the bench indefinitely, but while he is still coming back from injury, there is reason to believe he may continue to come off the bench. He admitted in his postgame press conference that his ankle is still not at 100 percent, but he still wants to make an impact for the team if he is capable of doing so.

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley was pleased with what he saw from Wagner during the game.

“You know, he looked comfortable out there. Obviously, his wind is going to take some time, but his ability to get downhill, to play make, create for his teammates. I thought he did a great job of being aggressive and not letting things get to him," Mosley said postgame.

Wagner could have waited out the last two games of the first half of the season and given his ankle another 10 days or so to heal, but he chose to make his return now to help the team stack some wins before the All-Star break. The Magic need these wins as they currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, which is not what they hope to be at the end of the season.

In order to move up in the standings, they will need Wagner healthy playing his best basketball, so he needs to ramp up his ankle as much as possible to ensure he will be at his peak when the Magic need him to be.