Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are the faces of the Orlando Magic at the moment. They are two young, extremely talented forwards who can do a little bit of everything. Banchero was already named to one All-Star team in his young career and elevated his game in last year’s playoffs. Franz Wagner has established himself as a great two-way player this season and was on track to book his first trip to an All-Star Game before getting injured.
Banchero and Wagner lead the Magic in almost every statistical category, averaging the most points, assists, minutes, and field goal attempts per game. When you have young players with that much talent, you want the ball in their hands as much as possible.
Thus, the Magic have relied on Banchero and Wagner to not only carry the scoring load but to be the primary playmakers and creators on the team. The only traditional point guard on the roster is Cory Joseph, and he is not playing much.
Banchero and Wagner are great playmakers, but it is time for the Magic to get them some help in that department.
The Magic need a point guard to organize the offense
With all the injuries the team has already had to endure this season, the Magic’s offensive flaws have been on full display. While they are the second-best defensive team in the league with a 109.2 defensive rating for the season, the Magic rank 28th in offense. According to Ryen Russillo, that is the “widest split in the NBA in those two categories.”
On a recent episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast, Russillo discussed the Magic’s offense, noting how often they struggle to get into the offense and how much they rely on Banchero and Wagner to bail them out with tough shots. He also addressed how those shots are a part of Wagner’s and Banchero’s less-than-ideal shooting percentages, especially from three—something particularly Banchero has taken a lot of criticism for.
What Russillo’s comments point to is the lack of someone who can organize the offense and get everyone on the team—Wagner and Banchero included—good looks. Because Wagner and Banchero are such good playmakers and need the ball in their hands a lot, the Magic opted not to add a high-level point guard to the roster in the 2024 offseason. Instead, they wanted to give Banchero, Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black a chance to continue developing and see if they could build a functioning offense without adding a point guard.
Injuries have not allowed the Magic to get a good look at their team this season, but their need for someone who can organize the offense and help Banchero and Wagner with the playmaking is still obvious. The Magic were not able to take the next step this season, but they will soon. To get there, the Magic must stop relying solely on Banchero and Wagner to create offense. Adding a point guard may change the way the Magic play, but it also seems to be one of the best ways to fix the team’s offense and make things easier for the two stars.