The basketball gods have been cruel to Orlando this season.
This looked bad when it happened — Moritz Wagner drove the lane, stopped up, and his knee simply gave out on him. Now, the worst has been confirmed: Wagner tore his ACL, and he is done for the season.
Moritz Wagner underwent an MRI today and results revealed that Wagner has sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Wagner will undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. pic.twitter.com/kfWhIi0VaX
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 22, 2024
Wagner was in the midst of his best season as a pro, averaging 12.9 points a game, shooting 36% from 3 with 4.9 rebounds a night. With that production he looked like a steal on the two-year, $22 million contract he signed last summer. Now, there is a shadow over that second season, which is a team option (it is very possible Wagner will miss training camp and part of the next season recovering from this injury).
Wagner joins All-Star forward Paolo Banchero and Moritz’s younger brother Franz Wagner on the injured list, both of the other two with torn obliques (they should return this season). Without that trio, and despite the efforts of Jalen Suggs, the Magic are struggling to score enough to win despite having one of the best defenses in the NBA.
