Of all the strengths Franz Wagner displayed vs. Heat, this is the most game-changing

He was on fire from three last night.

It was only one game, but Franz Wagner showed improvement from the three-point line in the Magic's season opener against the Miami Heat, shooting 50 percent from downtown. He ended the game 3-for-6 and finished the game with 23 points, four rebounds, and four assists. This is the version of Franz Wagner that the Orlando Magic desperately need to show up night in and night out.

If he can continue to shoot well from three, it could possibly make the Magic unguardable and potentially make the team a championship-caliber team. They were entering the conversation last year, as Wagner helped to take the Magic to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. During that time, Wagner shot a measly 28 percent from beyond the arc. Before that, he shot around 35 percent in his first two seasons. It was not great, but still much better than last season. It was a bad season from deep for Wagner’s standards. What a difference a year makes—or a season opener.

The Magic could easily climb to the top of the Eastern Conference if Wagner continues to shoot like this and if Banchero continues to show that he's one of the best players in the NBA. This is the one-two punch that the organization has been waiting to see develop, and it will get more deadly if Wagner continues to improve at shooting from deep.

Wagner hasn't had a bunch of games yet in which he shot 50 percent or better from beyond the arc. That is why this is a new development, and he seems to have worked on his weakness during the offseason—a weakness that he probably felt held his team back from advancing against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their first-round playoff matchup. He probably took it personally and felt he needed to be better.

In a crucial Game 7, Wagner missed all of his five 3-point attempts and finished the game with just six points. The Magic lost that game and the series. Wagner played subpar by his own standards and left the game with a bad feeling. His running mate Paolo Banchero finished the game with 38 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Imagine if Wagner had shot 50 percent from three in this game.

Franz Wagner has shown that he is capable of shooting a high percentage from three in previous years, but those performances are few and far between.

For instance, on November 19, 2022, Franz Wagner shot 5-for-9 from three in a decisive win against the Indiana Pacers.

His ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting ability is the most game-changing strength that the Magic have to look forward to. This is the last step of development he needs to go through before he can start to become what the organization and the fans in Central Florida always imagined him to be: A stout defender who can be an offensive threat from all three levels.

The Magic look to have finally developed Wagner. He has a shot to be a fringe All-Star if he can average somewhere in the mid-20's and is still able to defend at a high level. And all signs look to be pointed in that direction after last night's victory against the Heat.