Moe Wagner has been overlooked.
Maybe that is how he likes it. Maybe that is how he operates, sneaking through the shadows and underneath the opponent’s skin. Then not to mention he plays under the shadow of his younger brother, Franz Wagner, a budding young star in the NBA.
It is easy to lose Moe Wagner in the shuffle of it all. He does not have the upward potential of other bigs on the roster — especially Mo Bamba and the budding hype for Bol Bol. His skills are pretty solid but not anything to write home about.
Even at 25 years old, it feels like Wagner is the veteran of this group. He has been in the league just about as long as anyone on the roster (aside from Gary Harris and Terrence Ross, the actual veterans on this team).
You see, he is the big brother of the group.
Moe Wagner had a solid season for the Orlando Magic last year but his value is clearly in the influence he has off the court and his ability to step in and defend this young team.
Last year, Wagner was able to stretch his cameo at the end of the 2021 season into a solid role for the team in 2022. He proved to be an important and versatile player as the Magic dealt with injury after injury throughout last season.
Wagner averaged 9.0 points per game while shooting a 58.1-percent effective field goal percentage. He was a reliable 3-point shooter and floor spacer for a big. But he proved to be reliable for the role the Magic needed him for — even if it was ultimately asking too much of him.
Wagner could step out and hit 3-pointers when given the chance. He was a solid pick-and-roll partner too — the Magic posted 1.08 points per possession with Wagner as the roll man in pick-and-rolls on 1.2 possessions per game. He had 3.8 screen assists per 75 possessions according to Basketball Index, putting him in the 84th percentile.
He proved to be a solid rebounder, filling in his role on that front.
Wagner has done whatever the team has asked and needed from him in his minutes. And he performed it well after being a bit of a stat filler on a bad team to end the 2021 season. The 2022 season proved his worth overall to the team.
And it is something that is hard to define. The numbers for Wagner paint the picture of a player who was solid for his role but did not do anything spectacular. In the end that is probably what he needed.
But Wagner’s worth is a bit more. It is not merely to be the big brother to his actual brother, but he is sort of the big brother to everyone on the team.
He is the guy who stands up for the team physically when it is called for in the course of a game. What else is a big brother supposed to do?
The Magic will likely call on him to do that again at various points this year. But that cannot be his only role of course.
His ability to hit shots from the outside and be a solid defensive presence are reliable when he is in. But they have not helped him carve out a more defined role.
That likely is the place Wagner finds himself this year. Good enough that the team can go to him when called upon but not good enough — or important enough developmentally — to use much more beyond that.
With the bevy of young bigs on the Magic roster, Wagner is the one who seems likely to get lost in the shuffle. He is also the only one likely to outperform one of them to get minutes in a pinch unless injuries can create real playing time.
That is part of Wagner’s appeal though. He is seemingly available in a pinch and can go long stretches without playing and still come in and mix things up when called upon. The Magic can treat him almost like a veteran. They know exactly what to expect when he steps onto the floor.
It is hard to say how Wagner graduates from that role. And on this team — with Wendell Carter, Mo Bamba and even possibly Bol Bol in front of him on the depth chart — there is just little pathway for him forward. Orlando is invested in the development of those young centers and power forwards — Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Chuma Okeke and Jonathan Isaac — making it hard to find Wagner a clear path for minutes.
Wagner will get some playing time. He is a coach’s favorite. He is someone coach Jamahl Mosley can turn to when he needs certainty in minutes. That is all they can ask for from Wagner.
So Wagner is the big brother. He is the protector. The guide. The one showing the way. And then the one who comes in and cleans little brother’s mess when called upon.
That seems to be the best way to describe what Wagner’s role will be with this team. It is the best way to describe his relationship not just with his actual brother but with so many others on the team.
There will be some unfortunate superstar player who inevitably gets annoyed with Wagner’s needling. That is part of his role too. And it can be important. And Wagner has the skills to be productive if and when the team needs him to play.
The question is always figuring out what more he can do? Does he even need to do more?
Certainly, to get a firmer rotation spot, he should be looking to do more. And whether he can will determine whether he can fight his way onto the court more frequently.
There will inevitably be injuries in the course of the season. And Wagner will find himself playing when the Magic face those injuries. He is someone to rely on in that moment.
But for now, Wagner’s best role is to be a big brother — supportive, needling, defending and a whole lot more. It may not result in a ton of playing time but he will be a key player for the team in practices and on the bench.
That is what the Magic brought him in for.