Franz Wagner feels against the Lakers? A dangerous evolution for all magical enemies

What stands out in the context is the self-confidence.

Down two, 18.9 seconds left, under the bright lights of LA Anthony Davis, a 79.5% career free throw shooter who had hit 10 of his first 11 in a row through the first 47 minutes of the Magic-Lakers, put up a pair of to give Orlando a chance for a draw – or maybe, if you’re feeling away, go for the win.

And these days? Brother, Franz Wagner is feel yourself.

Wagner calls guard Jalen Suggs up to the ball screen, makes Davis abandon the shift and lets him go one-on-one against Cam Reddish — still a big, long-limbed, athletic defender, but nowhere near the level of AD, and also, decisively, a few centimeters shorter than Franz himself. Rhythm dribble, tween-tween, straight to stepback – no hesitation, no second guessing and no doubt.

He pays out. Magic leader. And, a stop later: Magical Victory.

Wagner made 41 stepback 3-pointers in his first 231 games across the board three NBA seasonsshooting 33.1% on those high-wire-act, long-range looks. When Wagner poked Reddish’s eye on Thursday, it was his 10th in 23 attempts (43.5%) across 17 games this season — the most consequential and the highest, and one that highlights the hurdle he’s had to jump.

The German forward entered the summer with a bitter taste in his mouth. On the one hand, he had put together his strongest season as a pro, averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for a pleasantly surprising Magic team that won 47 games and reached the playoffs for the first time in four years. On the other hand, he had finished the campaign with a whimper capping a season-long shooting slump – just 28.1% from 3-point land, the worst long-range mark among 181 players who launched at least 200 long balls — by going 1-for-15 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep in Game 7 of Orlando’s opening-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The downward spiral from the distance continued at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Wagner starred for his country, averaging 18.5 points per match and helped lead Germany to the semi-finals and ultimately a fourth place finish, he achieved just seven of his 35 attempts from the shorter FIBA ​​3-point arc. That consistent inconsistency left the status of his janky jumper — one that had entered around league average through his freshmen and sophomore season — looms as one of the biggest questions for a Magic team in desperate need of more shooting and offensive firepower.

That need became even more desperate on Halloween when Wagner’s All-Star frontcourt partner Paolo Banchero, fresh off a breakout 50-point performance, was diagnosed with a torn oblique that would sideline him for the foreseeable future. Suddenly doubt was a luxury Orlando could not afford; for the Magic to stay afloat without their leader in points, assists, touching and time of possessionWagner would have to rely on the hours of work he put in over the summer to turn his weakness into a strength, stepping into the spotlight that his patient, poised, efficient-but-lower-key game doesn’t. always receive.

Well, judging by the 37 points he just hung on the Lakers — Wagner’s fourth 30-plus-point outburst of the season, after rolling up 11 through his first three seasons — to go with 11 rebounds, six assists and four stolen? So far, so good:

The Magic have now won seven of their last eight, with best point differential in the NBA over that span. (A friendly schedule has helped: Orlando swept a five-game homestand with visits from the injury-riddled Pelicans and 76ers, the disappointing Pacers and the basement-dwelling Wizards before going on the road to take down a Suns team missing Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkić.) As has been the case ever since Jamahl Mosley took the reins at Central Florida, Orlando’s defense leads the way and stifles opponents to a league low 102.2 points per 100 possessions with no garbage time during this stretch.

But Mosley’s club has also featured a near-top-10 crimedespite missing Banchero, and despite four of the six Orlando players logging at least 25 minutes a night over the last few weeks — Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anthony Black and rookie Tristan da Silva — combined to shoot one abysmal 39-for-146 (26.7%) from deep.

Wagner has been the beating heart of this offense, averaging 28.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 35.4 minutes a night over the last eight gamessecondment a .587 true shooting percentage (which takes into account 2-point, 3-point and free throw accuracy) while ending more than 31% of Orlando’s offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul or turnover.

It is one superstar level combination of usage, efficiency and production, achieved only by stacking possession after possession of hard drives to the paint, pristine footwork and expert utilization of angles, soft-touch floaters and passes on goal in teammates’ shooting pockets … and as he showed by drilling four triples in 10 attempts Thursday, the confidence to keep shooting.

“A lot of things are mental for us players as well,” Wagner told reporters afterward Thursday’s win. “For me, it means a lot to get over the hump over the summer and take it into the season. I’ve come a long way since coming into the league, (but) last year was a struggle for me at times. Progress is never just linear; you just have to stay awake.”

While Wagner himself needs to keep an even keel, the results he’s producing can make your mind wander — and wonder just how good he and the Magic can be.

Overall, Wagner is averaging 23.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 31.9 minutes per game. game for the season, which is up to 35% from long range on a career-high 6.1 attempts per match. He is one of 13 players averaged at least 23-5-5 this season — a list that includes four MVPs (Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Stephen Curry), four All-NBA selections (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum , Luka Dončić, De’ Aaron Fox) and two All-Stars (teammate Banchero, Brandon Ingram).

He pairs the impressive box-score production with an excellent advanced statistical resume: third in the NBA in wins over damages according to Neil Paine’s Estimated RAPTOR, fifth in The LEBRON of the BBall index metrical, ninth i value rather than replacement player15. in box plus-minus18. in the player’s efficiency ratingand 24. in win shares per 48 minutes.

It all points to the 23-year-old performing as one of the 15 or 20 best players in the NBA so far this season. Combine that with the role he’s played in keeping the Magic above .500 without Banchero, and thus above the game in what looks like a truly haunted Eastern Conference, and you’ve got an incredibly impressive start to an All-Star affair — a gifted player who bounces back from a brush with failure, puts it all together and sets his team up to reap the benefits.

This time last year, Wagner told Jake Fischer that “the worst thing would be to look back and think I didn’t get the most out of myself.” If he keeps this up, he won’t have to worry much about it. Defense on the other hand? They must have one lot to resent; just ask Cam Reddish, JJ Redick and every other Laker who got a closer look at how dangerous a confident Wagner can be.