This day in calendar is not a kind day for Franz Wagner

On Friday, Orlando Magic stars Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane played in the same together since Nov. 12, when Banchero suffered a groin strain against the New York Knicks inside Madison Square Garden.

Well, fast forward to Sunday -- nearly one month after Banchero's injury in the exact same location -- Wagner went down with a lower leg injury in the first quarter. The Magic's leading scorer played only seven minutes, scoring seven points with three rebounds, one assist and one block on 3-of-4 shooting.

But that wasn't the only ridiculous coincidence. The injury was also exactly one year after Wagner tore his right oblique -- sidelining him for one-and-a-half months.

A year ago today, Franz Wagner fell to a torn oblique. Tonight, heartbreak returns as he suffers a lower left leg injury.

Prayers up. 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/2cZ2GMpfZM
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) December 7, 2025

December 7th isn't very kind to the 6-foot-10 wing; in 2022, he shot 6-of-19 in an overtime win against the Clippers, scoring just 15 points. It was sandwiched between a pair of 25- and 34-point performances, uncoincidentally.

For the future, schedule-makers, give the Magic the day off on Dec. 7 and subsequentally wrap Wagner in bubble wrap.

Magic could be entering Emirates Cup quarterfinals in tricky situation:

Franz Wagner — Dec 7, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) reacts to a call in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

We will not see Orlando again until Tuesday in the Emirates Cup quarterfinals against the Miami Heat. Jamahl Mosley is still integrating Banchero back into the rotation. The former No. 1 overall pick played 24 minutes in Sunday's six-point loss after just 20 in his return on Friday.

Should Wagner miss an extended period of time, how head coach Jamahl Mosley navigates his rotations with Banchero and Bane will be magnified.

Bane, who was trying to see if he could throw a ball faster than Cam Schlittler as frustrations mounted inside MSG, averaged 23.1 points on 46.5/36.4/96.4 shooting splits in 10 games without Banchero.

He will need to replicate that, and then some, because it could define the rest of their season.

Magic could be entering Emirates Cup quarterfinals in tricky situation:

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