Orlando Magic center Moe Wagner took time to reflect on his recovery after his season debut, the evolution of German Basketball and more.
The Orlando Magic will play the first of two European games against the Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin, Germany on Jan. 15 before heading to London, England for the second game on Jan. 22. For Magic center Moe Wagner, this is a significant opportunity.
Wagner — who recently returned to the floor after a year-plus-long recovery from a torn ACL — was born in Berlin. His younger brother, Franz, who plays forward for the Magic, was also born in Berlin. Now, the two will represent Orlando in their birthplace on Thursday.
Wagner is feeling good after a lengthy recovery and now, he just wants to remain focused on basketball.
“Body feels good,” he said after Tuesday’s shoot around at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin. “Obviously, the rehab process in itself isn't over yet just because you started playing. So, I'm still adjusting. But overall, I would say I got out of it pretty good.”
Wagner logged just under 10 minutes of play in his season debut on Sunday when the Magic hosted the New Orleans Pelicans. Wagner also made it clear that there has not been a lot of conversation surrounding how long it will take him to return to a normal workload, and he is candidly unconcerned with it.
“Honestly,” he said. “There hasn't been a great conversation with me about it because I really don't care at this point. I just want to get it right; the people that are responsible for that take care of that.”
As Wagner gears up to play Thursday’s game in his hometown, he reflected on how basketball in Germany has evolved.
“Oh, a ton,” Wagner said about how much the game has changed in Germany. “I mean, obviously, being part of that wave is so gratifying. And yeah, it's very, very privileged to be part of that wave of young players that kind of show German basketball around the world and help basketball grow in Germany.”
While Wagner will be available for the upcoming contest, it is unclear if Franz will be able to play as he continues to rehabilitate a high ankle sprain he suffered in December against the New York Knicks. However, Wagner made it clear that the most important part of his brother’s presence is not contingent on his availability.
“Well, regardless if he plays or not, I think just generally the body of work is so big and significant that it doesn't really matter whether he plays. I don't think there should be too much pressure on that. Health is the most important thing and the reason we are here is him, you know, so, I don't think we should put too much pressure on the fact whether he's playing or not.”
“I think we'll enjoy it either way and, actually, playing is the smallest part. We’re driving through the city, we've seen our friends, we're combining our two worlds together. That means the world to us, so that's the main thing for me.”