Magic forward Franz Wagner is coming off the most frustrating season of his NBA career, as a recurring left high ankle sprain caused him to miss 48 games. In an interview with Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype Wagner talks about the difficulty of not being able to overcome the injury and admits it might have been a mistake for him to play when the team visited his native Germany on January 15.
“It was very challenging. At the end of the day, if we’re not healthy as athletes, we can’t do our jobs, so that’s the most important thing,” Wagner said. “And so there’s always that pressure that you need to be out there and perform and help the team out. So not being able to do that and not seeing the results in rehab, too, when you’re going really hard, it was really frustrating for me. And basically, trying to rehab the same injury three times in a year was tough for me, always having the same kind of setback feeling.
“The way it went, I probably shouldn’t have played (in Germany). Everybody understands the situation that it was, and honestly, I hate to say it, but I don’t really regret the decision to play. It was that special of a moment for me, and for a lot of other people who were there. So, it just happened to be a bad moment in time, probably, but maybe some people hate me for this, but it was a really special moment for my family and me. So, I was happy that I got the chance to at least be out there.”
Wagner’s season got off to a promising start, as he averaged 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in his first 23 games. He suffered the injury in the next contest and sat out 16 straight games before returning for a pair in Berlin and London. He was sidelined for another nine games after that, then came back on February 9 and 11 before experiencing another setback. He returned for six games in April, then played the first four games of a playoff series against Detroit before suffering a right calf strain.
Wagner addressed several more topics in the interview. Here are a few highlights:
Playing in front of the Berlin crowd a few months after capturing gold at EuroBasket:
“You gotta understand, basketball is a very much growing sport in Germany, and we have had great success with the national team these last couple of years. So in my mind, I’m trying to capitalize on the moment a little bit, and the game in Berlin was a big part of that. Like I said, we need as many people, as many kids starting the sport to play, and that’s kind of the whole goal of this, to grow the sport at home. And moments like that, I know I would have killed to be at an NBA game when I was a kid. So, I know how special it was for everybody who was there.”
His offseason approach to avoid more injuries:
“It’s rehabbing first of all, the injuries that I did have, and then sort of addressing some of the patterns, maybe why injuries keep coming up. That’s the goal: that you’re not hurt at all, and not just treating symptoms when they come up, but taking preventive measures. I have a great amount of time now in the summer to do some of that.”
The coaching change in Orlando, with Spurs top assistant Sean Sweeney replacing Jamahl Mosley:
“For sure, it’s very exciting for all of us. We’ve played pretty much the same core together for five years, and it’s gonna be a lot of change in the building next year. I haven’t met Sweeney yet in person, but just texting back and forth, you can feel the excitement from him too. And it speaks to his work ethic as well as character. Getting a job that young is not easy. It hasn’t been too much; he’s still in the Finals. I also want to respect that, but we’re all really excited for next year.”
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