Franz Wagner is the best second year player in the NBA

It is no secret the Orlando Magic have identified their two star players of the future in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Banchero is going to win the Rookie of the Year award, a race he has led from game one of this season. And his ceiling as the Magic’s superstar of the future is incredibly high.

Wagner’s importance, while not exactly overshadowed by Banchero, has somehow been diminished this season because of the campaign the Magic have had.

But if you look at how Wagner stacks up next to every other player in the 2021 NBA Draft, we can make the case he is the best second-year player in the league.

Franz Wagner has turned in a strong season often overshadowed by his Rookie of the Year teammate. But the Orlando Magic forward has stepped up and pulled to the front of his own rookie class.

Before backing up that claim, a quick word on how Wagner’s importance has been overlooked at times this season.

Paolo Banchero has been so good, so soon, while point guard Markelle Fultz has played well enough to garner actual Most Improved Player buzz.

Wendell Carter’s absence is felt defensively every time he is forced to sit out through injury, while the flash in the pan that Bol Bol was took up a lot of the minimal amount written about the Magic.

That is not to say Wagner has been an afterthought, and it has already been established that “fourth-quarter Franz” is a very real thing. He has become their closer and excelled in the role.

Wagner has had a stellar year, averaging 18.8 points per game (up 3.6 points per game from his rookie year), 4.1 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game (up 0.7 assists per game from last year). His field goal shooting has improved too, going from 46.8 percent overall last year to 48.7 percent this year and from 35.4 percent from beyond the arc last year to 36.2 percent from deep this year.

Franz Wagner ranks third among sophomores in scoring (Cade Cunningham is second but played in only 12 games this year). He ranks sixth in assists too. Wagner’s balance across all statistical categories certainly stands out.

Making the claim Wagner is the best second-year player in the league is still a bold one, so let’s quickly list his main competition for that mantle as his sophomore year winds down.

• Cade Cunningham
• Evan Mobley
• Josh Giddey
• Alperen Sengun
• Quentin Grimes
• Jalen Green
• Scottie Barnes

Straight away Cunningham can be taken off this list. He has been injured for essentially all of this season.

Grimes has been excellent for the New York Knicks averaging 10.4 points per game and shooting 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. But would anyone trade Wagner straight up for him? That answers that question.

Meanwhile, Rookie of the Year Barnes has had a disappointing second year. He is averaging 15.5 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game. None of those are significantly better than his stellar rookie season.

Now it gets more difficult. Although Green has averaged 21.9 points per game this season to Wagner’s 18.8, and is also younger, can we say he has had a better first two years in the league? Especially considering how much the Houston Rockets have struggled to find their footing this season.

The jump from the rookie to sophomore seasons is supposed to be about improvement and comfort in the league. And Wagner despite how good he was from the jump last year has shown that improvement in big and in subtle ways.

Green could go on to have a fantastic career, but Wagner is the more complete offensive player and is already a much better defender too.

Giddey is the most underrated player on this list. And at only 20 years old, his averages this season of 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game are insane for a young guard.

Next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, he is also helping a youthful Oklahoma City Thunder team to overachieve this season as they continue to push for the Play-in tournament.

Is Giddey a better player than Wagner? Honestly, this is the first truly tough call we have encountered so far. They are both so balanced and do so much for their teams, they are probably the most complete perimeter players in this class.

Is it also fair to say that Wagner has to do more as the second-best player on a team and with less around him to help and that Banchero is not yet on the same level as Gilgeous-Alexander either?

It is, so we will somewhat controversially let Wagner shade this particular head-to-head.

This leaves only two players, and the fact Sengun is even on this list at all shows you how much his stock has risen in the league.

The 16th pick in 2021, originally taken by the Oklahoma City Thunder and traded to the Houston Rockets, he has the potential to be the next Domantas Sabonis.

Failing that, even if Alperen Sengun peaks at a Nikola Vucevic during his tenure with the Magic, a two-time All-Star, that will still be viewed as a successful career.

But you get the feeling Wagner has another level he can get to beyond that, and the potential of that eventuality alone right now is reason enough to take him over Sengun.

All that is left to do then is tackle the toughest name on the list in Mobley. As the player manning the paint for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he is already incredible on defense.

The backbone of what the Cavaliers hope will be a solid run this postseason, while his basic numbers this year of 16.4 points and nine rebounds per night are both up on his rookie season.

After such a stellar first campaign however, is it fair to say that Mobley’s likely ascent in the league has not been linear?

If Wagner is overlooked with the Magic, Mobley is now certainly not the center of attention playing alongside Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and even Jarrett Allen.

The defensive rating of the Cavaliers has also slipped some (109.0) compared to last season (106.8) when Mobley has been on the court. But Cleveland is still a major player in the Eastern Conference, likely locking down the 4-seed and homecourt in the playoffs after falling in the Play-In Tournament last year.

Yes, we are nitpicking here, but Wagner needs all of the help that he can to overcome Mobley as the best second-year player in the league.

Wagner is the much better scorer, and as a two-way player capable of defending multiple positions and closing out games, he can do a lot of what Mobley cannot.

On the flip side, you are never going to build a defensive identity around Wagner, and he may not be able to be the best player on a championship-winning team. Mobley looks like he can.

Really then it comes down to Wagner, Mobley and also Giddey for this fictional award.

There are no wrong answers between the three, and the Magic will believe that they’ve got the best of the lot after two years in the league.

You can’t ask for any more than that for a franchise with a spotty record of drafting lottery picks in the last decade.