Franz Wagner has evaded a concerning injury that will hold him back for the rest of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup according to Germany’s team doctor.
“We were able to rule out serious injuries. Nothing is broken, torn, or anything like this – things that would end the FIBA World Cup for him,” team doctor Oliver Putz said on Saturday, per Florian Krebl from a German sports news agency called SID, via BasketNews.
“Franz feels better this morning than yesterday. We did another MRI this morning. But the problem is that we don’t have the imaging yet. So we can’t say exactly what’s hurt yet.”
In an X announcement, the German Basketball Federation announced that Wagner will be unavailable on a day-to-day basis after suffering a left ankle injury against Japan to open up Germany’s FIBA World Cup outing on Friday in Okinawa. An exact diagnosis is yet to be determined for Wagner with imaging still pending, but the Orlando Magic sensation is now under intensive care.
Wagner went down with around five minutes left after driving for a pass as he collided against a Japanese player in mid-air. He still managed to walk on his own but was announced unavailable to return with the Germans holding an already decided double-digit ball game.
The 21-year-old contributed 10 points in Germany’s 81-53 wire-to-wire tourney opener, but his impending absence against Australia on Sunday would be a major blow to his nation’s hopes for a strong start in Round 1 of the World Cup’s Group Phase.
“We won’t get the CD with the images until this afternoon. It’s a bit unfortunate how it’s organized here. And then we have to send the images to a radiologist in Germany so that he can tell us what’s going on there. Because there are no radiologists here who can give us information,” Putz added.
Should Wagner become unavailable against the Boomers, head coach Gordon Herbert may likely tap Johannes Thiemann as his temporary main option at the wing. The 29-year-old wounded three markers and six boards against the Japanese hosts.
