poll: LWOS - Never Be the Same Between Wagner and Banchero

[RichCollab]

Franz is lead distributor and Paolo is lead scorer.

[KillMonger]

They will be better when Paolo returns.

Why? Because Orlando just needs guys that can actually put the ball in the basket.

Outside of Franz and Moe, the rest of the team isn't as reliable on that side of the floor. Suggs has had some games and KCP has a few games recently. Thats about it.

That being said, there are definitely going to be some bumps in the road when Paolo returns. The offense is going to change again and its not going to look as fluid as it does now albeit with less talent on the floor.

It’s no coincidence the ball has started moving much better and scoring is up so I don’t think it’s Suggs or KCP putting together nice games. Whatever is happening is working and Paolo has to see it from the bench and buy into it.

i mean they HAVE to move the ball it can't just be franz....difference is now there is more shots being hit...the framework of our offense is pretty much exactly the same....

suggs brings the ball up, if he doesn't call his own number he gets the ball to franz and then it's either a jumper or he's attacking the rim.....Suggs bring the ball up again, they set up horns and get franz the ball from there if the opps send a double then it's a spray out 3.....sprinkle in a franz post up when he has a smaller guy on him....it's exactly the same just switched out paolo and put franz there....only difference is they have different superpowers, franz is a better finisher while paolo has a knack for getting whoever is guarding him and anyone around him in foul trouble

[RookieStar]

Franz is lead distributor and Paolo is lead scorer.

I think you got it opposite. As I noticed, its always Paolo wanting to pass and racking the assist before he got injured. Franz was always the movement cutter to score

[purpleswordfish]

It's an interesting thought to have about how Wagner will perform when he's not leading the offense any longer. He's definitely getting more touches - a lot of which would have gone to Paolo. I guess I think it's a good problem to have. There's no reason you can't have two All-Star caliber players co-exist on offense, that's where coaching comes into play. There are plenty of great 1A/1B combinations in the NBA on high quality teams:

Tatum/Brown in BOS
Mitchell/Garland in CLE
Brunson/Towns in NY
Doncic/Irving in DAL

That's just to name a few. I'd even go so far as to say that in today's NBA, you need a 1A/1B on your team to be a contender. Then, you surround them with quality role players or a very clear "third banana." Barring a serious regression from Banchero and/or Wagner, I think the Magic's future success is more about how the rest of the rotation plays around them.

[RichCollab]

Franz is lead distributor and Paolo is lead scorer.

I think you got it opposite. As I noticed, its always Paolo wanting to pass and racking the assist before he got injured. Franz was always the movement cutter to score

Franz should be the lead distributor. Both will be responsible for both roles for sure but Franz makes better decisions.

[eyriq]

Franz is excellent off-ball and on spot-ups. Paolo is excellent in ISOs. I think this dynamic will define why they succeed together. They can alternate initiating the offense.

[Orlando Dawg]

It’s now Franz’s team

[RookieStar]

Franz is lead distributor and Paolo is lead scorer.

I think you got it opposite. As I noticed, its always Paolo wanting to pass and racking the assist before he got injured. Franz was always the movement cutter to score

Franz should be the lead distributor. Both will be responsible for both roles for sure but Franz makes better decisions.

Maybe.. Franz is ahead of development compared to Paolo though. But its subjective. Paolos can see and also makes the smart passes. Both aren't black holes in offense.

[KillMonger]

I think you got it opposite. As I noticed, its always Paolo wanting to pass and racking the assist before he got injured. Franz was always the movement cutter to score

Franz should be the lead distributor. Both will be responsible for both roles for sure but Franz makes better decisions.

Maybe.. Franz is ahead of development compared to Paolo though. But its subjective. Paolos can see and also makes the smart passes. Both aren't black holes in offense.

Yep but Franz makes less mistakes, however that may be due to paolo being a bit more flashy with the passing causing some TO's

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[The-Stallion70]

I think this whole thing is pretty interesting. Franz has genuinely looked like the best player the team has had since Dwight in the last few weeks, humble superstar who doesn't force the issue and let's the game come to him.

Paolo had a tendency to force the issue at times and simply wasn't as skilled of a finisher as Franz is but could draw lots of fouls.

Hopefully they gel together and the team is better.

[Blue_and_Whte]

When Paolo Banchero tore his oblique in October, the Orlando Magic’s future seemed grim. A four-game losing streak without him reinforced those fears. The Magic looked lost without their young star, and fans braced for another disappointing season. That is, until Franz Wagner stepped up in Paolo Banchero’s absence to turn the team’s fortunes around.

Things Can Never Be the Same Between Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero

The 23-year-old forward has completely rewritten the narrative, leading the Magic to a remarkable turnaround. With Wagner at the helm, Orlando has won 11 of its last 12 games...

LWOS link: What happens when Banchero returns?

That question, what next, determines if Orlando is an early contender - right now.

Poll question: obviously the first two "better" answers will be pooled in seeing the "winner".

I think the smack down last night against an actual good team should shed some light on this sill question. What happens next? We’re a much better team.

[The-Stallion70]

Feel like there's this weird (and false) narrative that they can't play together because of this win streak .. even though they had a 9 game win streak together last year and we've basically been a .500 + team with Paolo on this team since we drafted him. It's always been predicated on Franz staying aggressive and both of them being able to hit threes with more regularity and just getting better as they get older.

Sure, involving Franz on more on-ball actions moving forward will obviously help us overall, but they've played well off of each other so far. About as much as you can expect for two young players with some flaws that are getting better and better.

It is a bit concerning though that we went on an almost 10 game win streak basically as soon as Paolo and Wendell went out. Our record is literally almost there with Boston.

You mention things that Franz has to do to improve for them to play together but his TS% has always been better than Paolo's.

[Blue_and_Whte]

Feel like there's this weird (and false) narrative that they can't play together because of this win streak .. even though they had a 9 game win streak together last year and we've basically been a .500 + team with Paolo on this team since we drafted him. It's always been predicated on Franz staying aggressive and both of them being able to hit threes with more regularity and just getting better as they get older.

Sure, involving Franz on more on-ball actions moving forward will obviously help us overall, but they've played well off of each other so far. About as much as you can expect for two young players with some flaws that are getting better and better.

It is a bit concerning though that we went on an almost 10 game win streak basically as soon as Paolo and Wendell went out. Our record is literally almost there with Boston.

You mention things that Franz has to do to improve for them to play together but his TS% has always been better than Paolo's.

No it isn’t. That streak was against sub .500 teams. The only .500 teams we beat in that stretch were the Lakers on a well contested 30 ft heave by Franz and a Suns team without KD and Beal.

[The-Stallion70]

Feel like there's this weird (and false) narrative that they can't play together because of this win streak .. even though they had a 9 game win streak together last year and we've basically been a .500 + team with Paolo on this team since we drafted him. It's always been predicated on Franz staying aggressive and both of them being able to hit threes with more regularity and just getting better as they get older.

Sure, involving Franz on more on-ball actions moving forward will obviously help us overall, but they've played well off of each other so far. About as much as you can expect for two young players with some flaws that are getting better and better.

It is a bit concerning though that we went on an almost 10 game win streak basically as soon as Paolo and Wendell went out. Our record is literally almost there with Boston.

You mention things that Franz has to do to improve for them to play together but his TS% has always been better than Paolo's.

No it isn’t. That streak was against sub .500 teams. The only .500 teams we beat in that stretch were the Lakers on a well contested 30 ft heave by Franz and a Suns team without KD and Beal.

Cool so you're saying we would done the same with Paolo? Has that happened before?

Think a little harder son.

[VFX]

Two things are true.

-Orlando has beaten a bunch of bad teams on the road. Some with missing key players. Franz has stepped up into the lead role at this time.

-Orlando will be better when Paolo returns from injury and will beat better teams when he does.

Players like Suggs, Goga, and Franz have had to completely change their roles with Paolo out and this Front Office absolutely refusing to acquire outside talent capable of creating offense.

The Magic will have a tough time winning against good teams until Paolo returns. There just simply aren’t enough options offensively otherwise.

[Bergmaniac]

It is a bit concerning though that we went on an almost 10 game win streak basically as soon as Paolo and Wendell went out. Our record is literally almost there with Boston.

You mention things that Franz has to do to improve for them to play together but his TS% has always been better than Paolo's.

No it isn’t. That streak was against sub .500 teams. The only .500 teams we beat in that stretch were the Lakers on a well contested 30 ft heave by Franz and a Suns team without KD and Beal.

Cool so you're saying we would done the same with Paolo? Has that happened before?

Think a little harder son.

We had a 9 game win streak last season with Paolo playing and we faced tougher teams...

[The-Stallion70]

No it isn’t. That streak was against sub .500 teams. The only .500 teams we beat in that stretch were the Lakers on a well contested 30 ft heave by Franz and a Suns team without KD and Beal.

Cool so you're saying we would done the same with Paolo? Has that happened before?

Think a little harder son.

We had a 9 game win streak last season with Paolo playing and we faced tougher teams...

Alright so why are we even having this discussion then if you both just talked yourselves into this development being a non-issue? Do you believe that Franz is no different a player now than he was before this streak?

Does Paolo force the issue at times? Yes.

Does Paolo display negative energy at times? Yes.

Does Franz catch and hold the ball less than Paolo and promote better ball movement when he is the primary handler? I believe so.

Is the difference between Goga and Wendell closer than many of us already believe? Possibly.

These are questions I am interested in pursuing.

[KillMonger]

Negative energy? Force the issue? A bit hyperbolic.... I'm thinking force the issue because the other options are firing on all cylinders? If anything paolo is the recipient of grenades when no one other than him and Franz can hit... I can't count how many "almost" triple doubles paolo could've had if the "others" were competent

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[drsd]

Franz is lead distributor and Paolo is lead scorer.

These two need to prefect reciprocal PnR plays. They will be unstopabble.

[Blue_and_Whte]

It is a bit concerning though that we went on an almost 10 game win streak basically as soon as Paolo and Wendell went out. Our record is literally almost there with Boston.

You mention things that Franz has to do to improve for them to play together but his TS% has always been better than Paolo's.

No it isn’t. That streak was against sub .500 teams. The only .500 teams we beat in that stretch were the Lakers on a well contested 30 ft heave by Franz and a Suns team without KD and Beal.

Cool so you're saying we would done the same with Paolo? Has that happened before?

Think a little harder son.

This boy. If you’re too dense I understand then ask for clarity instead of getting your feelings hurt. We had a streak against sub .500 teams? The minute we run into a very good team without our All Star we get smoked. WTF? you need a lesson how that works?