With the Orlando Magic starting a new era under head coach Sean Sweeney, the team is looking to bounce back after a heartbreaking loss in the first-round playoff series, falling in seven games to the Detroit Pistons. As the Magic hired Sweeney and bring back a talented core, one piece of the team that dealt with a myriad of injuries and reflects on this past season is Franz Wagner.
Speaking in a one-on-one interview with HoopsHype’s Cyro Asseo, Wagner would be asked how the various injuries he suffered during this past season impacted him mentally and physically, admitting that “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.”
Magic’s Franz Wagner reflects on playing in the Berlin game
Wagner would suffer a hamstring strain in early December of this past season and made it a goal to return a month later to play in his hometown of Berlin, Germany, against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, he re-aggravated the injury during the trip to Europe as Wagner spoke about the situation.
“The way it went, I probably shouldn’t have played,” Wagner said. “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.”
This past season, Wagner averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from deep in 34 games. Wagner looks for a healthier season with Orlando next season, starting in the fall.
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