Orlando Magic All-Star Grades: Franz Wagner’s free throw wins it for Team Barry

Franz Wagner can be pretty invisible.

Certainly in a game that is about individual play and demands a certain level of suspension of disbelief defensively. These are not Wagner’s strong suits. He is already a player who can recede into the background since he is not a selfish player.

Cade Cunningham certainly was there to make a statement. So too was Evan Mobley. Jae‘Sean Tate was playing defense like it was a regular-season game. The team was composed and well-constructed to give the team a chance.

Wagner was not even in the game at the decisive moment of their win over Team Payton in his first game.

He was in at the end of the final though. And as Cunningham looked to attack and deliver the final point the team needed to win, Wagner made one of his patented cuts.

As the defense approached to stop Cunningham from getting to the basket, he shoveled it off to Wagner. The defense was late to adjust and Wagner drew the foul.

Wagner did not score many points in the 75 points Team Barry scored, but he hit the most important one from the foul line, the clinching point.

Wagner went home with a medal as part of the team that won the Clorox Rising Stars game. He scored only three points, making a big dunk early on in the final. His free throw was the only other point in the final game.

Franz Wagner delivered the clinching point to give his team the win in the Rising Stars game as the Orlando Magic represented well.

Wagner totaled six points in both games. He had a three-pointer in the first game, won on a Tate scoop layup through traffic to reach the target score of 50.

The highlights for the Magic came in the first game. And it was too bad the Magic did not get to see all three of their Rising Stars playing against each other.

It literally came down to one free throw — both a free throw missed from Jalen Suggs that would have clinched the game and Cole Anthony’s failed attempt to <ahem> distract Desmond Bane at the foul line.

Where the second game had a little bit of a more normal fell to it. The first game had all the makings of the track meet that is typical of the Rising Stars game.

Everybody ate with Jalen Suggs putting in a 360 dunk and Cole Anthony chucking three or dishing the ball to teammates.

There were plenty of highlights in the game. And when it came down to winning time and Team Worthy needed to erase a double-digit deficit, they came through.

Anthony helped charge an 18-2 run that put Team Worthy into the lead with his passing and shot-making. He had a dunk for good measure. And with the game tied at 46, Team Worthy got a stop that led directly to Josh Giddey outletting it to Jalen Suggs. Suggs proceeded to throw the ball off the backboard to Anthony for a dunk.

It seemed like Team Worthy was set for the win. But they kept leaving the door open.

Suggs missed the second of two free throws, failing to clinch the game. Then Jalen Green had a 3-pointer blocked that would have won the game.

That enabled Bane to draw the foul — when Suggs slapped down, perhaps cleanly, on the ball on a Bane drive — that would clinch the game and send two of the Magic’s crew home.

This is a guard’s game and predictably the Magic’s guards played better than their forward. Anthony scored four points on 2-for-6 shooting and dished out three assists. Suggs had 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting, trailing on Green on the team in scoring.

More importantly, everyone looked like they had fun in the game.

Player Grades

Franz Wagner – C+

This game is not designed for a player like Franz Wagner. We saw it in Summer League how he struggled to find his place in an unstructured environment. Wagner needs to know when to time his cuts and needs to have his teammates’ trust to get him the ball. This might be one of the big areas he has to improve. He just goes invisible too often, even with how good he can be.

There were just so few opportunities for Wagner to showcase his skills and wedge himself into the game. The foul that drew the free throw was one of the few times that he was able to play the way Orlando Magic fans have come accustomed to — he gave one attempt at a step-through Euro that he has become so good at and he hit a three for one of his two field goals.

Wagner still won. And whatever defense he played was more than anyone else played throughout the game.

Jalen Suggs – B+

Jalen Suggs needed something to breakthrough. He has had a rough rookie year that has not quite lived up to expectations. There have been some breakthroughs and he can clearly play in the NBA. But it has not been what everyone expected.

If this All-Star exhibition gave him anything, it is the confidence that he can still do this at a decent level. Even among other star rookies, he is among the stars.

Suggs was on the attack, something he has been great at all season long. Of course, finishing is a lot easier when the defense is not doing much to challenge the shot. And there was nothing really challenging his shots when he got to the basket.

That helped Suggs get some shots. But everyone was chucking in this one. Suggs was one of the best scorers of the whole game.

But, my man, make your free throws. Missing a clutch free throw like that was disappointing. Especially at a moment when the intensity of the game mimicked something real.

Cole Anthony – B

Cole Anthony largely played the role of facilitator when he was most effective. He had only three assists, but they were big ones. And his makes were both dunks — a big dunk later in the game and the alley-oop pass off the backboard from Suggs. Anthony was directing traffic when his team made its comeback.

But Anthony was a bit shot-happy and one of the few high-volume guys who could not find his shot all game. Anthony made only two of six shots. All four of his misses were 3-pointers.

It is an exhibition game, so you do not mind so much some bad decisions. And his worst decision was pulling down his pants seemingly to distract Desmond Bane on his game-winning free throw.

That is just Cole being Cole.