Magic Starting 5: Franz Wagner Among NBA's Best?

The Magic Insider lists five of the biggest NBA storylines in addition to relevant Orlando Magic news and analysis.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 20, 2022

Magic Starting 5: Franz Wagner Among NBA's Best? /

In this story:

1. FRANZ WAGNER: TOP 10 SMALL FORWARD?

"The 21-year-old recently concluded a bronze medal run at this year's EuroBasket, which concluded a seventeen year drought for his home country of Germany. Over his nine games, Wagner posted 16 points, four rebounds while shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc."

2. JABARI SMITH READY TO ROCK FOR ROCKETS

"Smith entered the draft as the consensus No. 1 pick, well on his way to the Orlando Magic. If the franchise decided to take another sought-after prospect, Smith Jr. felt so confident in his draft stock that he did not attend a pre-draft workout beyond the Oklahoma City Thunder, who held the No. 2 pick."

3. BECKY HAMMON LEADS LAS VEGAS ACES TO WNBA TITLE

"Hammon served an integral role as a member of the Spurs coaching staff until departing in 2022 when she became the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces. She led the team to a 26-10 regular season and ultimately the WNBA championship."

4. CP3 TO BIG D?

"Literally for decades, Chris Paul has served as a Dallas Mavericks “pipe-dream” acquisition, maybe ranking only behind LeBron James in that forever-unattainable category. Has Paul’s status in that regard changed?"

5. MAGIC FACT OF THE DAY

The Orlando Magic used to be the sister franchise of the WNBA's Orlando Miracle from 1999-2002. After the 2002 season, the team moved to Connecticut to become the Sun, who lost to the Aces in the WNBA Finals Sunday.

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Published Sep 20, 2022

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.