Franz Wagner is not one to promote himself.
After polishing off a (near) triple-double, he took the podium and said he and the team still needed to improve after a 107-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Let Desmond Bane do the promotion then.
"Can he get player of the week? When does that come out?" Bane asked the assembled media after Friday's game. "Do y'all got a vote on that or something? We have to make that [thing] happen."
A three-game win streak cures a lot. The Magic have been trending in the right direction as a group, with better and more consistent defense.
But the story for the Magic's season has been Franz Wagner's sudden burst of playmaking. He is putting up numbers only the elite players put up.
Calling Wagner an MVP candidate might be headline-grabbing, reactionary slop to get you to click (thanks, by the way). But there is no denying what he is doing right now.
After scoring 35 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out 12 assists in a 107-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Wagner is adding to his log of star-making performances. He has found an extreme fit in this Magic offense.
"It's never just one thing, I think," Wagner said after Friday's game. "It's obviously I work hard. I think I got better at a couple of things. Also I think the way we're playing fits my skill set. I think there are a lot of aps and a little more space for eme to attack and make plays."
Franz Wagner has been in this position before.
He had to step up with Paolo Banchero facing early-season injuries during the last two seasons. He put up All-Star numbers then and would have been in the All-Star Game had he not suffered his own injury.
That stability will be the test with Wagner now second in minutes played -- and the Magic in precarious positions when he is not on the floor.
But Wagner has reached another level in his game this year.
MVP Numbers
There is no denying the full-season numbers from Franz Wagner this season.
Wagner is now averaging a career-high 24.4 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game and 8.3 assists per game. Nikola Jokic is the only other player averaging at least 20 points, six rebounds and eight assists per game.
Wagner ranks 19th in points per game and sixth in assists per game.
He leads the league in drives with 26.9 per game, according to Second Spectrum. He is second behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 13.8 points per game off drives and second behind Deni Avdija with 3.0 assists per game off drives.
Wagner has had four straight games with 30 points. He had at least seven assists in three of those games and a positive plus/minus in the three wins. The Magic are 5-0 when he has a positive plus-minus.
It is hard to find something Wagner is not doing and not boosting the Magic with.
"What can't you say? He's been great," coach Sean Sweeney said after Friday's game. "He's been dominating the game on both ends. Aside from anything else, every stat indicates how much impact he is having on the game. Every which way, he is playing at an All-Star, All-NBA level for over time now."
If value is the part that matters in the MVP discussion, it is getting increasingly harder to deny that about Wagner, too.
The Magic had a +34 with Wagner on the floor. The Magic had a 110.3 offensive rating with Wagner on the floor. They had a 138.4 offensive rating with Wagner on the floor. The Magic had a 23.1 offensive rating in the 12 minutes Wagner sat out.
For the season, the Magic have a 112.8 offensive rating and a +0.7 net rating with Wagner on the floor. They have a team-worst 92.8 offensive rating and a -17.5 net rating when Wagner is off the floor.
In the last five games, the Magic have a 120.0 offensive rating and +9.8 net rating with Wagner on the floor compared to a 76.8 offensive rating and -24.1 net rating with Wagner off the floor.
The Magic are leaning on Wagner for everything. As the Bucks crept closer into the game with Wagner on the bench, Sweeney turned to Wagner to solve their problems.
The team trusts him fully too.
"He's a killer. I was on the court with him, and I had to ask him that in the fourth quarter: 'Are you a killer?' He is, man. He does it on both ends of the floor," Desmond Bane said after Friday's game. "Play after play whether he is scoring, assisting, using his voice in the timeouts. I think that is something he has grown at a lot this season, just leadership. He's speaking in the huddles and speaking before the games. His focus is there. He is a competitive guy. He wants to win and wants to play the right way. He is being rewarded for all the work that he has put in."
Like the last two years, word will quickly spread around about Wagner and what he is doing. There is just one thing missing.
Wagner knows winning is missing
Franz Wagner is showing more personality and fire.
He got the Delta Center crowd against him for an apparent taunt of their defense after he took exception to a flop. He has stepped up his leadership and his composure as the team's lead player.
But Wagner is still the unassuming player. He shoulders the burden without complaint (aside from the league taking away his 10th rebound in a review of the stat-keeping).
But more than anything he wants to win.
The only reason Wagner's stat lines are not penetrating the larger NBA discussion is the Magic's 5-7 record.
The Orlando Magic struggled to put the 1-12 Milwaukee Bucks away, winning by only eight after leading by 20 in the second half.
Wagner wants to see the team continue to improve.
"I thought we played all right today," Wagner said. "Overall, I liked our energy, our effort and our talk throughout the game. We had some lulls throughout the game, I think that's normal in a long season. I think we are getting better at a lot of things. But we're trying to be more consistent."
Wagner might still win Eastern Conference Player of the Week -- averaging 35.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game on 54.4/33.3/96.2 shooting splits. But there are bigger challenges ahead -- namely the top two teams in the East in the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
Things are fitting Wagner's eye. He is proving his value to the Magic. He is starring for them this year.
He has been their MVP. And perhaps more.
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