With Franz and Mo Wagners in starting lineup, Magic start to rack wins / News - Basketnews.com

Since Moritz and Franz Wagners entered the starting lineup for Orlando, the Magic have shown a rising form and a balanced weekly record (2 wins, 2 losses).

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

The Orlando Magic have been labeled as a squad with a lot of talent in recent years, but none of them have star potential and thus couldn't add to the site in the long run.

Paolo Banchero

Team:Orlando MagicPosition:PFAge:20Height:208 cmWeight:113 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

This was not the case this season, as Orlando not only drafted a player of superstar caliber with the no. 1 pick (Paolo Banchero) but also had a relatively balanced squad with many offensive options.

Magic have a deep guard and big men rotation and two players in Franz Wagner and Banchero, who can decide a game on their own.

Everything the same

At the beginning of the season, it looked like the Magic would do everything to position themselves ideally for the upcoming no. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama and therefore lose many games.

Energizers like Moritz Wagner or the explosive guard Markelle Fultz were out for the first weeks of the season.

Thus, the coaching staff put a lot of burden on the shoulders of the new franchise player, Paolo Banchero, who has not really found his offensive rhythm at the beginning of the season.

In addition, Franz Wagner, who spent a long time with Germany at the EuroBasket, was also very inconsistent, which is something you don't want to see from an NBA sophomore.

Until two weeks ago, the South Florida-based Magic were in last place in the Eastern Conference, with just 5 wins from 25 games.

However, you can't take one thing away from Franz, which is competitiveness.

Asked to comment on Magic coach Jamahl Mosley's observation that he's one of the most competitive players he's seen, Wagner gave the credit to his big brother, Moritz Wagner.

"It's probably from being a little brother and losing a lot of 1-on-1 games and all types of games on the playground," Franz said. "I always hated losing, so I guess it comes from that."

Rising form in recent weeks

Paolo Banchero

MIN:34.78PTS:21.68 (55.78%)REB:6.86As:3.86ST:0.86BL:0.64TO:2.91GM:22ProfileNBA2022/2023

With the injury list emptying out in recent weeks and the team slowly but surely coming together, Mosley managed to form a unit defined primarily by the intense defense and pick&roll based offense.

With Cole Anthony, Banchero, and Franz Wagner, Orlando also has players who can ideally set the stage for the lanky big man Mo Bamba or Bol Bol or find the free shooter like Terence Ross on the 3-point line.

Banchero even compared Bol with Victor Wembanyama.

"Everyone talks about the Victor dude from France," Magic star told HoopsHype. "I'mnot trying to compare them, but Bol's 7-foot-2 (2.18 m.), shoots threes, brings it up the court, makes passes, and blocks shots. I feel like people kind of forget about him, but Bol's a freak of nature. He moves like a 6-foot-5 (1.95 m.) shooting guard. It's crazy."

Such an intensive and unpleasant play style also has much to do with Moritz Wagner.

The German big man, who missed the European Championship in the summer due to an ankle injury, made his season debut only on November 25 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

One week later, the German forward is already in the starting lineup and leads it on the field as a vocal leader and hustler.

Since then, the Magic have won 3 out of the last 6 games and have certainly attracted attention with victories against the Clippers and Raptors. They also lost every game in crunch time, where they suffered defeats to the two best teams in the East, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I don't think we think in streaks because you always keep the long-term picture in mind, but winning helps," said Moritz Wagner. "That's a natural instinct. Of course, the mood is better when you win, and you're somewhat relieved and see the work translate."

However, despite such an increase in form, the Magic are from being favorites. As of today, the Magic are +15000 (151.00) to win the Southeast division, with the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks being the favorites.

Play-in Tournament Seats in Sight

However, the Magic shouldn't overreact after their recent surge in form. Still, the play-in places are within reach and only 5 wins away. The fact is that the squad is strong enough to reach the play-in places.

But for that to happen, consistency needs to come into play. Especially in the losses to the Cavs and Bucks, the team repeatedly allowed themselves weak periods where the opponents built up a lead.

Of course, as with most young teams, there are always weaker phases and a lack of consistency during a game. Nevertheless, in addition to a vocal and energetic leader, it is also important to identify a player who can take over the game offensively in tough minutes.

It's obvious that Banchero has to do this, as is the assumption that he can't yet fill this role like, for example, a Jayson Tatum in Boston or Luka Doncic in Dallas after such a short time.

Banchero leader of the rookie ladder

The 2022 NBA Draft is interpreted as not being too strong of a year, as experts are no longer expecting star potential, especially after the first two picks.

Nevertheless, a basic skepticism has also been present with Banchero, whether the forward can then tie to his strong college time at Duke and offensively retrieve his potential.This thesis is already confirmed by the first few weeks of the season.

With 21.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game, the Orlando Magic rookie is number one on the rookie ladder.

Only Benedict Mathurin of the Pacers (17 points per game) and Jaden Ivey of the Pistons (15 PPG) put up similarly strong numbers.

But neither of these two shows such composure as the Italian-American forward. Banchero acts very advanced in decision-making and overview.

So if he is saved from injury and continues to develop steadily, a few more trophies await with the newly named Rookie of the Year: Wilt Chamberlain Trophy.

"It's about patience," Banchero wrote in his diary for the Associated Press. "I just had to learn to listen to my body and be patient. I'm still not as explosive as I was before getting hurt. I feel like I've gotten my wind back pretty much, but just as far as explosion and movement-wise, I'm still trying to just speed it up and get back into the flow."

However, Banchero's main priority should be to stay on an upward trend with the Magic because, as we all know, all the individual accolades don't do you any good if you're weak with your team.

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.