A loud yell could be heard from the far side of the practice courts inside the AdventHealth Training Center.
No, nobody was hurt.
Instead, the noise came from Magic backup center Moe Wagner moments after he slammed down a ball with one hand on a drive to the basket.
Cheers from Orlando guard Desmond Bane and rookies Jase Richardson and Noah Penda soon followed.
And there was a smile back on the face of Wagner, who continues to rehab from a torn left ACL he suffered almost a year ago.
“Just to see him out there, moving around, laughing, smiling with the guys, getting up and down the court, that’s a beautiful thing to see knowing that the kind of competitor he is,” Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. said Wednesday.
Added third-year pro Anthony Black: “Him making progress just makes everybody else feel good so we’re happy for him. We know he’s getting better so we’re looking forward to getting him back and we’re happy to see him take steps every day.”
Although Wagner is making progress, he still has crucial steps to check off his list well before a return.
He still is only doing non-contact drills in practice and neither him nor his younger brother Franz Wagner (left high ankle sprain) are traveling with the Magic on the team’s upcoming four-game West Coast trip.
“What’s more important is you can hear him yelling and screaming and hollering and getting guys going,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “His energy brings so much life to us.”
Another energy provider within the Orlando locker room is All-Defensive guard Jalen Suggs, who suffered a left hip bruise during last Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against New York, which won the Cup championship over San Antonio on Tuesday night.
While Suggs is traveling with the team back out west, he’s not expected to be available Thursday against the Nuggets (19-6) after he didn’t do much in practice Wednesday. Suggs focused on his recovery and rode a stationary bike “a little bit,” Mosley said.
Filling in for Suggs could be Black, who’s started at times this season in his place.
“A lot, especially defensively,” Black said when asked how much responsibility he puts on him to help pick up the slack with Suggs out. “His defense is missed when he’s not playing.”
Orlando (15-11) will have its hands full with Denver’s Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP who’s averaging 29.8 points with league-highs of 12.4 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game.
“He’s the best of the best, in my opinion,” Carter said about Jokic. “He’s got a lot tools in the shed, for sure.”
Despite falling short in Las Vegas, a beat up Magic squad believes it benefited from being home for a few days ahead of hitting the road again.
“A lot of guys are out right now,” Carter said. “We’re at Game 27 so we’re still trying to figure each other out. It’s not perfect but these last two days were something that we really needed.
“We’re in a good spot, and we’re excited for this road trip.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic at Nuggets
When: 9 p.m., Thursday, Ball Arena
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida