The NBA is still struggling to find the right formula for its All-Star Game.
All the hand-wringing about the lack of quality in the game has led to the league trying to tinker with the format to create some impetus for competition.
The wheel has finally turned to an idea that has bounced around the league for a while. Will it be enough to make the game entertaining again?
Shams Charania of ESPN.com reports the league is planning to turn the game into a U.S.-vs.-World format. The league will name All-Stars and split them into two U.S. teams and one international team. The three teams will play a round robin of 12-minute games with, presumably, the top two teams playing for the "championship" in the fourth quarter of the game.
That might limit the problems of sitting around and awkward commercials that plagued last year's game.
A lot is still unclear about how this will work. How will fans vote for their All-Stars? How will the Team USA teams be split? Will anyone actually care?
But one thing should be clear for Orlando Magic fans. The split into international teams and U.S. teams opens the door wide open for Franz Wagner to make his All-Star debut.
He is clearly one of the best international players in the league. This format should only make it easier for him to clear a path to the All-Star Game -- and even possibly get a starting nod.
The international landscape
The NBA has resisted going to the U.S.-vs.-World format for the All-Star Game because the league was afraid there were not enough international players to fill an entire team that were worthy of being named an All-Star.
With the league moving its All-Star Game to NBC in the new TV deal, and the game itself being moved to the afternoon to accommodate NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics, it seemed like the perfect time to introduce this type of game.
It certainly fits a theme.
And a smaller team would be filled with legitimate All-Stars. Eight players is about the right number.
Last year, the league had seven international All-Stars (if you include Karl-Anthony Towns, who was born in the U.S. but plays for the Dominican Republic in international tournaments). That does not include Luka Doncic, who was not an All-Star last year.
There are legitimately eight international All-Star players that Franz Wagner will have to break through. But he should be able to do so if he has the season everyone anticipates. That alone should get Wagner onto the roster.
That goes double because the biggest problem for any international team would be the lack of guards available.
Among international players, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic are surely locks. The other players under consideration would be Alperen Sengun and Karl-Anthony Towns. Those are a lot of centers and forwards.
There are not a lot of international guards that would fill minutes and make the lineup a bit more balanced.
That is a place where Franz Wagner would easily slot in. He can run the point and handle the ball even though his 6-foot-10. There is a clear window for Wagner to get the look just from a roster standpoint.
But Wagner is also one of the best international players in the league. He would be worthy of being an All-Star in his own right.
Franz Wagner's credentials are worthy of a lock
Franz Wagner was on track to be an All-Star last year before he tore his oblique and had to sit out most of the games from December until the All-Star Break.
Wagner averaged 24.2 points per game, a career high. He stepped up further in the Playoffs to average 25.8 points per game as one of the few players able to get anything going offensively in that series.
For the first time in his career, he stepped into a lead scoring role, carrying the Orlando Magic through the NBA Cup into the quarterfinals (he was injured before the quarterfinal game) and stepping up to hit big shots.
From Paolo Banchero's injury to his own injury, Franz Wagner averaged 26.1 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game and 6.3 assists per game. In those 20 games, the Magic went 13-7 and Wagner proved he could do everything.
Beyond the change in the format, with the Magic expected to contend in the Eastern Conference, the chance to have two All-Stars has increased pretty dramatically. Two All-Stars only go to teams at the top of the standings and contending for a title.
If the Magic are as good as everyone thinks they will be, then Wagner's path to the All-Star Game is even easier. He will certainly earn his place on the All-Star team.
But the change in format also means Wagner is competing against a lot fewer players.
Instead of having to fight for his spot on the Eastern Conference team with Tyler Herro, Trae Young, Bam Adebayo, Darius Garland and Jalen Johnson, Franz Wagner is trying to ward off Pascal Siakam, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jamal Murray and OG Anunoby.
Those are players Wagner can more clearly beat out for a roster spot, even if he is not as strong statistically as he was last year.
Judging by the way Wagner is playing at EuroBasket for Germany, it should be no problem for Wagner to get into the All-Star Game.
The introduction of an international team only opens the door wider for Wagner to make his All-Star debut this winter.