The Orlando Magic are expected to be real contenders in the Eastern Conference this season.
They’re led by a new big three with the addition of Desmond Bane to the dynamic duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
They’re really just missing one key piece in the early going: the physicality and energy of Moritz Wagner.
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Big Moe isn’t available to start the season, which means Orlando is ever so slightly shorthanded on the interior.
But there’ll be time to figure that out, and even while sidelined, Moe Wagner is a great energy guy for Orlando.
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Why isn’t Moe Wagner playing tonight?
Moe Wagner remains out due to injury recovery from last season.
Wagner tore his ACL on Dec. 21, 2024. He still hasn’t been cleared for game action.
Moe didn’t have the surgery on his left ACL tear until early January.
“Moe’s timeline is different,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said before the season. “He’s further away. You guys know there’ve been unfortunately a series of ACLs in the last decade of the NBA and an associated timeline with that. But you guys also know Moe Wagner. So, he’s not your normal guy. He’s attacking it. and we’re hopeful he can beat that timeline. What that looks like exactly is too soon to say.”
In the meantime, the Magic are relying on other interior presences to provide the energy and physicality that Moe normally brings.
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