Magic's Moritz Wagner: Loses rotation spot to Bitadze
Wagner (coach's decision) went unused off the bench Monday in the Magic's 128-126 loss to the Pacers.
After his season got off to a delayed start while he finished off his recovery from the ACL surgery he underwent in January 2025, Wagner has struggled to return to form since being cleared to make his debut just over two months ago. While Wagner had been an efficient scorer off the second unit over his previous four full seasons in Orlando, he's converted at a lowly 41.9 percent clip from the field and 32.8 percent rate from downtown through 29 appearances. Since Wagner doesn't offer much rim protection to make up for the lack of shooting efficiency, head coach Jamahl Mosley appears to have at least temporarily pulled the plug on the German big man. Goga Bitadze has now moved ahead of Wagner to serve as the backup to starting center Wendell Carter in each of the past two contests.
