As the primary defender who was not only guarding Cade Cunningham, but outproducing and out-impacting him on both ends of the floor, Franz Wagner has been Orlando's most important player this series .

Now, instead of having 80-90% of Franz back finding his groove off a half-season-long injury recovery, the team is likely looking at 0% of Wagner going forward, unless something changes.

Orlando could eventually bring Wagner back for one last hoorah, especially if he's cleared for a potential Game 7 with the season on the line; but, even then, everything about bringing Wagner back prematurely again where he might risk a longer injury again , let alone risking a full season of injury next year just to play one game that doesn't have a ring on the line feels ways too risky.

We've seen all-time great players make these sort of risks in big games before, but those are normally NBA Finals games, not playoff games in the first round.

Jul 11, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; ESPN reporter Michael Wilbon prior to…