Orlando Magic's Franz Wagner Embraces Challenge of Guarding Jayson Tatum
On Friday night, the third-place Orlando Magic travel to Bean Town to take on the first-place Boston Celtics. Earlier in the season, the Magic beat Boston 113-96, but any game in the TD Garden will be challenging, even for the overperforming Magic.
Orlando boasts one of the best defenses in the league, but Boston's offense is led by Jayson Tatum, whose 27.4 points per game has him in the MVP conversation. Regardless of Orlando's defensive challenge, Tatum is a nightmare to cover.
Jayson Tatum sizes up Jalen Suggs.
Kim Klement/USA Today Sports
"He's one of the great players of the league that you just have to mix up coverages," Jamahl Mosley said. "They can't see the same thing over and over and over again. You have to be as physically physical as you can without falling, but being smart and having different matchups on him is going to be something that we'll continue to look at as the game through a long."
While the Magic will be guarding him by committee, Franz Wagner is chomping at the bit to shut down Tatum en route to an Orlando win. Wagner is the most well-rounded defender on the roster, and he and Jalen Suggs have been credited with Orlando's defensive success.
"I'm trying to make it tough on him," Franz Wagner said. "He knows all the tricks. He has all the moves. Now just try to take something away and not fouling is a big thing."
Even if Wagner isn't able to get a hand on the ball, preventing Tatum from shooting is a win. He is currently ninth in the league in points and 11th in shots attempted, with 426 on the season so far. Forcing the ball out of his hands and into Jaylen Brown's, Derrick White's, or Kristaps Porzingis' will be paramount to Orlando's success.
The Celtics have plenty of scorers on the team, so the rest of the Magic will need to carry their own weight. However, with Wagner claiming he can shut down Tatum, it should be that much easier.
