I see a potential star in Franz Wagner

[thelead]

Everybody looks like a star on a trash team.

If you don't know what to look for? Sure, I guess someone has to put up numbers... but Franz is the Magic's most complete player IMO. The only thing I would like him to focus more on is his rebounding. Everything else just needs time and experience to fully bake.

[Vampirate]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

[7r5ur]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

6'10" Middleton would be a monster! 6'7" Middleton is already a 2X all-star and 2nd best player on a Championship team.

I like the Hayward/Gallinari comp.

[Saints14]

I'm not sure why he was pigeon-holed as a 4th/5th option type going into the draft. Clearly he wasn't a high usage guy at Michigan, but that was a stacked college team and you could tell he had the IQ, vision and shot-making potential to be more than that. I don't see "star" for him necessarily but solid 2nd option type, absolutely.

The Magic kinda look like a great FA destination in a few years. I don't think they have a championship 1st option type on their roster but between Franz, Isaac, Suggs and Carter there's plenty of good secondary and defensive guys in place. Or maybe Cole Anthony can be an elite initiator type and they get that guy in 2022...who knows, but I like the trajectory of this team

[lars_rosenberg]

Orlando is going to be a problem if Suggs can hit his potential. Suggs/Anthony/Wagner/Isaac/carter/2022 nba draft pick

They've been becoming a problem for years. Still waiting.

That doesn't even look like a problem on paper...let alone on the court.

I like Wagner though and wanted warriors to get him

Honestly I'm very happy we picked Kuminga instead.

His potential is off the charts: uber-athletic forward with great size, flashes of great passing ability, flashes of lockdown defender, the three point shot is inconsistent, but form looks good, humble and hard worker.

This guy is going to be a star, just give him 2-3 years to develop.
He's already doing ok in limited minutes on the best team in the league and he's only 19. He has great mentors in Dray, Iguodala and Curry.
It's just a matter of time until he starts to be a problem for the league.

[Vampirate]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

6'10" Middleton would be a monster! 6'7" Middleton is already a 2X all-star and 2nd best player on a Championship team.

I like the Hayward/Gallinari comp.

My point was I don't think attacking the basket is his strong suit, he doesn't have the elite first step, speed or strength from what I saw to be a star doing that so it's the overall shooting that he should work on.

[OrlMagic05]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

6'10" Middleton would be a monster! 6'7" Middleton is already a 2X all-star and 2nd best player on a Championship team.

I like the Hayward/Gallinari comp.

My point was I don't think attacking the basket is his strong suit, he doesn't have the elite first step, speed or strength from what I saw to be a star doing that so it's the overall shooting that he should work on.

Not comparing him to Luka, but Luka does not have an elite first step, speed or strength and he is doing great. Franz uses timing to get what he needs, a lot of Euro steps or hesitation dribbles. I said it before the draft, but Franz reminds me a lot like Hedo. Not super athletic, but knows how to use his body instead of relying on speed. I dont think he will be a star, but a prime Hedo isnt far fetch comparison in my eyes

[Biff]

Reading some of the takes on here makes me really question some of you all's ability to judge basketball talent. Otto Porter? Really? Otto porter averaged 2 points a game at the same age and could barely sniff the court. Wagner is a significantly better prospect. Not even in the same arena there.

I agree with the guy that said he reminded him of a taller and less athletic Ginobili. Good defensive chops, good vision. very crafty. Not quite the playmaker Manu was but he's only 20. I think he has the court vision to become a very good playmaker.

[zaymon]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

6'10" Middleton would be a monster! 6'7" Middleton is already a 2X all-star and 2nd best player on a Championship team.

I like the Hayward/Gallinari comp.

My point was I don't think attacking the basket is his strong suit, he doesn't have the elite first step, speed or strength from what I saw to be a star doing that so it's the overall shooting that he should work on.

Actually driving to the basket is one of his biggest strenghts. His volume and fg% is similar to 23 years old Gordon Hayward. Its not great but Orlando is playing with 2 centers and spacing is not good. He doesnt need elite first step becouse he is very crafty and deceptive with his eyes and movement. His body is still not matured, imagine what he can do with better athletecism.

[basketballRob]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

6'10" Middleton would be a monster! 6'7" Middleton is already a 2X all-star and 2nd best player on a championship team.

I like the Hayward/Gallinari comp.

My point was I don't think attacking the basket is his strong suit, he doesn't have the elite first step, speed, or strength from what I saw to be a star doing that so it's the overall shooting that he should work on.

His first step is elite. I followed him in college also and if you watch him in the Tournament against Florida State, they couldn't stop him from getting to the basket. He's very aggressive but has finesse.

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[The Real Dalic]

Everybody looks like a star on a trash team.

First of all, this is wrong. Second, I never understood the hostility some people have towards a team that isn't hurting or bothering anybody. I hope you calling the Magic trash made you feel better and like a big bad man though.

[basketballRob]

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[Creativetran]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

I didn't think he had star potential either when we drafted this guy. Thought he was a bust at first, then when the season started I thought "looks like a good high level starter" now with the injury to Suggs and him getting more run bringing up the ball he has looked much more decisive. I don't think hes a superstar type guy but a one or two time allstar looks like it could be in his future.

[dc]

I'm impressed by Wagner. I thought he was 2 years away from contributing after I saw him in summer league. He looked kind of passive and was getting pushed around, but he's looked much better in the regular season (I guess Mobley has been similar in that regard, but he's been even better).

He has good instincts and seems to make the right play. He's better at getting his own shot off than I originally thought. He's probably not a superstar, but maybe a #3 type of guy on a contender one day.

[basketballRob]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

He's been pretty elite at mid-range. He shoots 583 between 10'-16' and 500 from 16'-3 pt line. He needs to work on his floaters more, he shoots 383 from 3'-10'.

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[Vampirate]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

He's been pretty elite at mid-range. He shoots 583 between 10'-16' and 500 from 16'-3 pt line. He needs to work on his floaters more, he shoots 383 from 3'-10'.

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The amount of mid range shots he takes besides the ones at 3-10 feet are miniscule compared to the rest of the shots he takes though.

He takes only 0.047% of his total shots between 10 feet to the 3 point line.

[RandlesCornrows]

Magic had a great draft for sure.

Franz mind reminds me of Paul George. If he can get that dribble pull up he’ll be a star. (Assuming he doesn’t have that yet) He’s showed out the games against the Knicks and postseason Randle? I think.

[Optimus_Steel]

I have to say that I'm pretty stoked and shocked at how skilled he is and how excellent his basketball IQ is. When we drafted him I thought he would be a solid glue guy but seeing most his games so far this season he looks like he has all star games in his future. Not only does he have great instincts but he plays with fire, he has moxie. Excellent length, better than you think athleticism, good ball handler, makes good reads and makes good decisions. He should be a good 3pt shooter thru his career, and has shown a lot of potential penetrating. Not afraid of contact. Then you add his good defense, good anticipation, good hands, and strong fundamentals (he doesn't bite on pump fakes). He is a very good two way player. It's rare that rookie plays like a seasoned veteran. None of us expected he would be this good now let alone in his career, now he is a cornerstone you can build around.

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[Bologna Smasher]

He was one of the main guys I wanted the Kings to target once they were officially slotted into the ninth spot. Pretty sure he would've been picked by the Kings if the Magic hadn't taken him. Actually kind of surprised the Warriors didn't steal him from both teams.

[basketballRob]

Tbh, I don't see star in Wagner atm, but if I were him i'd focus on improving the midrange all over the court. He's clearly a decent shooter from 3 and has the height to get a good shot off.

I'd say a good goal for him if he can improve his overall shooting, not just the 3, is a 6"10 Khris Middleton.

He's been pretty elite at mid-range. He shoots 583 between 10'-16' and 500 from 16'-3 pt line. He needs to work on his floaters more, he shoots 383 from 3'-10'.

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The amount of mid range shots he takes besides the ones at 3-10 feet are miniscule compared to the rest of the shots he takes though.

He takes only 0.047% of his total shots between 10 feet to the 3 point line.

You're right, if he could get his 3-10' up to 50% he'd be hard to stop.

Middleton for his career from 3-10' is 425, Giannis is 351.



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