After the 2023-24 season, it seemed clear that the Magic had one budding superstar amid their group of young players. Paolo Banchero was widely recognized as the best player on the Magic and a superstar in the making.
Meanwhile, the Magic’s decision to give Franz Wagner a max extension in the summer was heavily criticized. His bad performance in Game 7 was still on everyone’s mind, and many seemed to think that Wagner would not be able to live up to the contract.
Things have changed a lot since then. Wagner established himself as an All-Star-level player early in the 2024-25 season, carrying the Magic to wins even after Paolo Banchero went down with an injury just five games into the season. Suffering the same injury as his co-star prevented Wagner from actually being named an All-Star for the first time, but it did not change his development.
Wagner has reached the next level and has found his footing after the injury a bit faster than Banchero—he already recorded five games with at least 31 points in 2025–and the perception of the Magic’s star forwards seems to be changing.
Franz Wagner has a chance to establish himself as the Magic’s superstar
Paolo Banchero has already received a lot of criticism in his young NBA career. Much of it has been centered around his inefficiency as a scorer and that his particular skill set makes him a difficult player to build around.
Nevertheless, he was considered the current Magic player with the best chance of becoming a big star. After all, he was named an All-Star in only his second season and led his team to the playoffs, where he put up some strong performances. Now, Franz Wagner has entered the conversation.
Kevin O’Connor recently spoke on the Magic’s two stars, showering Wagner with praise and voicing his questions about Banchero.
“Franz Wagner: the real deal,” O’Connor said about the Magic’s second star. “This guy is legit. He’s a two-way blossoming star, versatile defender, can drop 30 on you even without having a hot shooting night because of his ability to get downhill. The pull-up ability, the playmaking ability, the dude’s legit.”
About Banchero, he said, “I don’t know about him defensively. I don’t know about him as a decision-maker, playmaker, shooter. There’s a lot of question marks here.”
O’Connor has been a fan of Wagner for quite some time. Already in 2023, after Germany’s win in the World Cup, he noted that Wagner could be a top-20 player in the future and might have a higher ceiling than Banchero.
Wagner has a chance to make a case for himself as the Magic’s best player this season and set the foundation to make O’Connor’s prediction come true. After not making a deal at the trade deadline, the Magic are still hoping for a late-season push to get out of the Play-In Tournament. If Wagner can spearhead that push and put together some strong playoff performances, it will certainly get the conversation going. So far, Banchero still has the advantage that he played well in his first playoff run, carrying the Magic in most games, while Wagner struggled at times, particularly in Game 7.
However, no matter which player ends up establishing himself as the Magic’s superstar, the organization is blessed to have such talented young players on the roster. Surrounded by the right players, Wagner and Banchero have the potential to do great things for the Magic.