Magic SF Franz Wagner Breakout Coming?

Franz Wagner showed improvement this past season from his rookie year, but it may be time for him to take yet another leap.

The Orlando Magic has its fair share of young and talented players. This is evidenced by the Magic being the fourth youngest team in the NBA in terms of average age. But there is one player who some think is destined for a breakout year this season.

The Athletic previewed the Southeast Division and columnist Eric Nehm identified Franz Wagner as the player most likely to have a breakout season.

"The Magic are going to bump up his usage even more, and he is going to be firing over five 3-point attempts per game," The Athletic said. "If he continues to grow as a shooter and playmaker, he could average more than 20 points and four assists per game, which would hopefully catch the attention of most around the NBA, even if the Magic still struggle as a team."

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner drives past Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Wagner has shown flashes of greatness ever since he was drafted No. 8 overall by the Magic in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Michigan. 

He was second on the team in scoring average this past season, only behind Paolo Banchero, but he led the team in total points for the season. He improved on basically every single statistic from his rookie season, and will look to further that improvement and add even more layers to his game this season

Wagner's ability to score at a high level from anywhere on the court already makes him a threat. But that combined with his constantly improving passing game could really push him over the edge this season and put the rest of the NBA on notice.