How Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner can get ahead of the roster competition

The 2021 NBA Draft went about as well as it could for the Orlando Magic.

Despite having tied for the best odds to land the number one pick this year, the team fell to fifth with its own selection while managing to hang on to the Chicago Bulls’ pick acquired in the Nikola Vucevic trade.

It left the team in what felt like a difficult spot.

This was long heralded as a five-player draft, then a four-player draft as doubts around Jonathan Kuminga continued to mount. The emergence of Scottie Barnes also played into the thoughts of decision-makers of teams picking at the top.

Since the lottery balls were drawn, it seemed like the Magic were going to have to weigh Barnes’ tenacity, energy and inability to shoot against Kuminga’s raw potential and decision-making question marks. James Bouknight’s scoring ability no doubt would have been contemplated too.

But in the end, none of this mattered. Toronto shocked everyone by using the fourth pick in the draft, long expected to be Jalen Suggs, to take Scottie Barnes. The decision for Orlando suddenly became a whole lot easier.

The Orlando Magic are still buzzing over their pick of Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner. Both players figure to be key parts of the team’s future. But where they fit in next year will be a question they have to answer in camp.

Suggs enjoyed a fantastic season at Gonzaga, leading the team to a national final which included an unbelievable half-court game-winner against UCLA in the Final Four along the way. His reading of the game partnered with his passing capabilities, athleticism and shooting potential made this as straightforward a decision as possible.

Like Suggs, Franz Wagner is a bit of an all-rounder with his ability to shoot, defend and create for others. It filled a need for the Magic on the wing and while his ceiling is probably a bit lower than some of those taken above him, his floor is too.

Orlando may finally have someone to build around should Suggs live up to his potential. And Wagner appears to be the type of guy a team would want around him should that be the case.

It is unclear where Suggs will be utilized yet, depending on whether coach Jamahl Mosley sees him as more of a pure point guard that needs the ball in his hands to be at his most effective or if he is better off playing next to a Markelle Fultz or Cole Anthony.

Either way, the future suddenly got a whole lot brighter following the NBA Draft.

But while there is rightfully plenty of excitement among the fan base, there are still some significant challenges ahead of Suggs and Wagner in the short term, especially for the former.

Here are the key areas both can target to impress Mosely and edge ahead of their current competition on the roster…