Franz Wagner: Magic's Best Player?

The second-year pro from Michigan made First-Team All-Rookie last season.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 11, 2022

Franz Wagner: Magic's Best Player? /

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic have multiple players with tons of upside, making it difficult to distinguish who the team's best player is.

Arguments can be made for several players, including No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, who has been tearing it up in the first two games of the Magic's Summer League run.

But The Athletic believes that player isn't Banchero, but rather second-year pro Franz Wagner.

In the publication's annual "Top 125 Player List," Wagner is the only member of the Magic to make the cut.

Wagner, who turns 21 in August, had a strong rookie campaign averaging 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. The sky's the limit for the former Michigan Wolverine.

In The Athletic's list, players are broken down into tiers. Wagner makes the 5A tier, which is built for players who "provide some additional championship equity on top of their 'everyday' production, but only a minor amount."

Considering the Magic only have one player on the whole list, and he only provides a "minor amount" of championship equity, it's understandable that the Magic are a bottom-tier team in the NBA.

Jonathan Isaac was part of the list the year before, but was one of the year's dropouts on the list, likely because he did not play in a single game during the season.

However, if Isaac can return to form as a possible top-100 player, Wagner continues to develop and Banchero plays like he is in Las Vegas right now, the Magic could be forming quite a lethal frontcourt.

Published Jul 11, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.