Franz Wagner is back, again.

The Magic forward was upgraded to available for Monday’s game at Kia Center against the Bucks after he had missed nine straight due to left high ankle sprain injury management.

Wagner previously sat out 16 contests (Dec. 9-Jan. 11) due to the original sprain he suffered Dec. 7 at New York and returned for two games against the Grizzlies in Europe.

After playing 27 minutes against Memphis in his home country of Germany on Jan. 15 and 26 minutes three days later in London during his initial return to the court, the Orlando star dealt with lingering soreness upon returning home from overseas and it became clear he needed additional time to properly manage the injury.

“He’ll be on a strict minutes restriction,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said Monday morning at shootaround inside the AdventHealth Training Center when asked what the team learned from the last time Wagner returned. “Very strict.”

The Magic have missed Wagner on both ends of the court. They entered Monday’s game 12-13 without him this season and 15-11 with him.

He’s averaged 22.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals during 32.8 minutes per night across 26 games.

“I mean, he’s an All-Star, to be honest, when he’s healthy,” teammate Jalen Suggs said about Wagner. “Having him back is huge. The gravity he pulls on offense, the way’s been guarding defensively … Just having that back as a part of our unit makes a big difference. And for us, it’s just really big mentally.

“Knowing that we have the full group now, nobody’s out, we get to slowly work our way back to a full unit and getting that chemistry and rhythm down,” he added. “We’re excited to have him back and I’m happy for him. I know he was really itching to get back.”

Monday’s game not only marked the return of Wagner but also the first in 467 days since Orlando was fully healthy heading into a contest. In the time since then (when Orlando played at Chicago on Oct. 30, 2024), various key players, including Suggs, Franz and Moe Wagner and Paolo Banchero, have dealt with long-term injuries that have plagued the team’s nightly availability.

It’s a satisfying feeling for their coach.

“It’s great to be able to look at that roster and say that we’ve got everybody available,” Mosley said. “That’s a beautiful thing.

“It’s going to be a process to figure out exactly how we get those pieces in line with the minutes restriction and what combinations work, but that’s why we want to continue to stick to the things that we do,” he added. “And it’s first and foremost on that defensive end, how we want to do it and keep creating that identity for ourselves there.”

The Magic host the Bucks a second time Wednesday in their last game before the NBA All-Star break.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic vs. Bucks

When: 7 p.m., Wednesday, Kia Center

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida