If you haven’t been watching the Orlando Magic at all this season, then a quick look at their standings would have you believe that this year has started like most others over the last decade – more losses than wins, and no clear superstar talent emerging to take them out of the doldrums.
Only, that’s not quite the case. This young group is a lot of fun to watch, and one which fans are gravitating to a lot quicker than previous iterations of the roster. Another return to the lottery is the most likely outcome here, but young players like Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs bring some fun, excitement, and tenacity.
Could Franz Wagner be the franchise cornerstone of the Orlando magic?
Recently, however, the unexpected emergence of rookie Franz Wagner has posed a question. Could he actually be their franchise cornerstone?
Every organization that is serious about winning needs their main guy, but for the Magic, this has taken on even greater importance. Nikola Vucevic, a two-time All-Star, once assumed this role.
The issue was he didn’t have a lot of help, and as we have seen with the surging Chicago Bulls so far this year, he works best as a third, or even overqualified fourth, option on a better team.
It was thought that Aaron Gordon could be that player. He wasn’t. Mario Hezonja had a brief, brief moment when fans thought he could be the one to lead them. Nope. Ironically Victor Oladipo had a period in his career where he was just that, but he had already been traded for Serge Ibaka by the time that came to fruition elsewhere.
Franz Wagner is already comfortable leading the Orlando Magic
This brings us back to Wagner, not only the most unassuming of potential cornerstones but not even the most heralded player that the Magic selected in this year’s draft. That would be Jalen Suggs, who was taken three spots before Wagner at fifth overall, and who has had all of the struggles that you would expect from a rookie.
It may be that Suggs, as some hope and assume, turns into the guy. But at this point, Wagner is showing far more comfort after only a handful of games and looks as though he could one day rise to that status.
The timing of this piece isn’t entirely perfect, however, as Wagner most recently had a paltry nine points and three rebounds in an ugly defeat to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
That dropped the Magic to 2-7 on the season, but we already knew this campaign wasn’t going to be about the wins. It was more about the development of young guys and readying them for future contests which much higher stakes. This is where the potential of Wagner can really be seen, as he does not look afraid of the moment at all.
He currently leads the entire league (alongside the impressive Evan Mobley) in the RAPTOR stat for rookies. This is a great place to be, and if you’re in the same company as Mobley, who has looked right at home in the league since day one, then you are doing something right.
More than that though, Wagner has already had the kind of electrifying performances most Magic rookies never did.
Franz Wagner has already shown the ability to help the Orlando Magic win
He had 28 points, four rebounds, and two assists, as well as an early contender for dunk of the season, in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was Wagner showing the full array of his offensive skills, and it was brilliant to see as this is an area where the Magic have been downright ugly for most of the last decade.
It was only one game, and it was followed up by a much less impressive one, but that is not the point. Already, it looks like not only is Wagner going to have these big games, but the team is going to win some of the contests where he really goes off. It has to be hard to come into a new team environment as well, but it might help to have his own brother Moritz also on the roster.
There’s a quiet confidence in what he has done. He’s unassuming, but very impressive when he has chosen to display this confidence outwardly. This is in complete contrast to the more vocal and loud Anthony, who has also looked like the guy early on this year. This is very interesting, because both of these guys could, in theory, return to the bench when Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz are healthy again.
But that is the point of the draft and of creating young depth throughout a roster. The difficult questions of who should start are a good problem to have.
We’re already some way removed from the garbage lineups that have been trotted out in recent seasons. Let’s not talk about trading Isaac or possibly having him come off the bench just yet.
Instead let us rejoice that a rookie, after only nine games, is making us pose these questions at all. They’ve got it wrong so often down through the years, but in Franz Wagner (and maybe even Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony as well), the Magic have the makings of something. A franchise cornerstone is needed, and the big German has answered the call early. Long may it last.